Ghost Trick: Turtle Detective
by Angelxoxo8
Summary: Donnie has been recently killed, and he must struggle as a ghost with finding out who he was when he was alive and who killed him. He has the ability to perform 'Ghost Tricks' to navigate the world around him and must figure out his identity before it is too late. Based off the DS game, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
1. Chapter 1

**Angel: Hello everyone! Welcome to a new story! This is based off a game called Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. Go watch the walkthrough for that because this game is awesome. I didn't play through all of it because I had it on my IPod, which I don't have anymore ^^' I only got to Chapter 5, unfortunately. I was gonna post this tomorrow, but Thursday I won't be here to post it.**

 **Also! This is not a crossover because all of the original characters from the game were replaced, and I didn't use any of them at all. This is only 19 chapters. The game has 18, but I'm gonna add another one. I won't say anything about it until I've officially ended the story. Not ALL main characters will be present, and I did use a few OCs here and there. For instance, I added them where I deemed fit, so you will see a LOT of characters, most of them from 2012. I did use some from the 2014 move and the 80s show, though! If you think hard enough, you might be able to guess who they are. I also took some elements from the 2003 show as well.**

 **Plot wise, I basically used the whole thing, but I edited some things, so there's a vast difference between this and the actual game. The main villain will not be obvious, so yes, it is not Shredder. And if you recognize this first chapter, that's because it's from the Songfics story. It's basically an extension of that chapter, but in WAY more detail as the story goes on. Anyway, let's get started!**

It's dark. Eerie. Meaningful. He didn't know where he was. Must've been unconscious for a while...his head feels 'fuzzy' like...kind of like he's swimming through the darkness...

A girl with red hair in a ponytail, a yellow coat, red boots, and a dark blue jumpsuit stands in front of a fence. She had blue eyes and freckles. When he came to, he saw her standing there. A woman he doesn't know.

At least...he doesn't think he knows her.

And then there was a man with a gun.

He stands just a few feet away from the woman, a yellow pistol in his left hand. He wears a black top hat with a silver stripe, a black suit with a red tie, black pants, and black shoes. He could see the man wore black glasses and he had white skin.

He doesn't know him either...well, probably not, anyway.

The man points the pistol at the woman and she shoots her hands up in surprise. Now, he's not the kind of guy who can just stand back and watch a poor woman get shot...but he had just one little problem...

He's already dead himself.

He sees a green body with a shell and a purple mask, sprawled on the floor. That had to be him. No question about that. After all, there was no other dead bodies lying around there...yet. "So long, sister," the man says, about to shoot. He felt bad for her, sure. But what can he do? He's dead. But just as he was thinking this...

 _"This is no time to be dead!"_

It's a female voice. Soft, silky, and concern.

 _"You're the only one who can save her!"_

This voice is now male. Deep, commanding, and responsible.

Suddenly, the atmosphere is red, and his dead body had blue swirls coming it along with a flame. He could see the red shadows of the woman and man. It was then he notices where they were. It's a junkyard. "Wh-What the?!" He exclaims, sweating. _The whole world just changed on me all of a sudden! Did I do that?_

"Welcome to the Ghost World, the land of the dead," the female voice explains. _A voice in my head?!_

"Who are you?!" He demands.

"No time for that now. You have to save her!" The male voice answers. He couldn't see them, but he could hear them...

"We know you can do it! All you have to do is use your powers," the female voice says encouragingly.

"Huh?" He asks in confusion. _Me? Save her? Uh, how?_

"Take a look at your corpse," the male voice orders and he looks at his body.

"Do you see that blue flame? That's your soul," the female voice explains.

"And do you see that bright white spot nearby?" The male voice questions. He sees a white spot blinking at him. He sees a long stick connected to something, the white spot on top of it.

"Yeah..." He answers certainly.

"That's a core," the female voice tells him. He places his fingers on his chin as he recalls the item that holds the core.

A crossing gate. For railroads.

"A core...?" He asks in confusion. _Hmm. Just looks like a railway crossing gate to me._

"Look, the best way to understand is to just try it," the male voice replies in determination. Could they hear his thoughts in the Ghost World? He had to admit, it was a little silly...but he is dead, so he didn't have much of a choice.

"First of all, try touching your soul," the female voice explains. He raises an eyebrow. All of this was very confusing to him...he reaches his hand out and pokes the soul. He gasps as his hand moves around, the soul following his every move. It was like an interactive video game...

"Next, with your finger still on it, slide the soul across to connect it with the core," the male voice continues. He does as he is told and his soul connects with the core. He looks in awe. Was this magic? A new technology that was invented for dead people?

"Congratulations!" The female voice exclaims happily.

"Your soul has now possessed the crossing gate," the male voice explains.

"So...what? Now I'm a crossing gate?" He asks. Not really the first thing I'd wanna possess...

"Ahem. Use that crossing gate to save the woman!" The female voice retorts in a 'duh' tone.

"What? But how?" He implores in disbelief. Honestly, just the thought of using a crossing gate to save a woman from a gun seemed crazy. In fact, it was outright impossible.

"In a moment, time will start to flow normally again. That will be your chance," the male voice answers.

"Listen, when the man pulls the trigger, the woman dies, right?" The female voice guesses.

"So before that happens, you have to use your powers to stop it!" The male voice finishes.

What powers? "H-Hey! Wait a second! I still don't know what you're talking about!" He exclaims nervously. How was he supposed to use a simple crossing gate to stop a woman from getting shot?

"Heh heh," they both chuckle. "You'll see. You'll see."

He raises an eye ridge. They seem to know each other, and about his...powers. He couldn't put a finger on it. It was as if he knew them on a personal level...

"Now, then. Time will start to flow again..." The female voice says and true to her word, everything turns back to its original color. Just like before, the man is pointing a gun at the woman. She still has her hands up. He sees something from the crossing gate as two buttons appear as a hologram, floating in front of the gate. The one on the left reads 'Ghost,' while the one on the right reads 'Trick.' He presses trick, since he figured Ghost was a way back to the Ghost World. And to his shock, the crossing gate lifts up, knocking the gun out of the hitman's hands. The woman, seeing this strange opportunity, pushes the attacker and runs.

"Oof!" The man quickly sees his gun and picks it up. "Hold it!" He shouts, pointing the gun at the woman again. She holds her hands up again.

He couldn't believe it. Did he do that?

 _"Well played,"_ The male voice says.

"Uh, what just happened?" He asks, his mouth open.

 _"That's one of your powers at work, silly! A...'ghost trick,' if you will,"_ The female voice explains.

"You mean... _I_ made that crossing gate move?" He questions in awe.

 _"That's right. You manipulated that object with a power of the dead, a ghost trick,"_ the male voice elaborates.

 _"And all you have to do to perform a trick like that is touch the trick button,"_ the female voice finishes.

 _"Now her fate has changed! Well, just a little..."_ The male voice replies and he hears a smack, most likely coming from the female voice.

"Yeah. She still kind of has a gun pointed at her..." He replies as the man points the gun at her. He wonders why he hasn't shot yet. Not that he wanted her to die, but maybe he's pausing for dramatic effect?

 _"Yeah, that's not good, is it?"_ The female voice replies sarcastically.

 _"But at least now he's starting to figure out to use his powers,"_ the male voice points out.

"So I enter the Ghost World with 'Ghost,' possess an object, and then go back and perform a 'Trick' with it, eh?" He asks in thought. He presses the left button and he sees the blue flame on the crossing gate, which is still raised up. He sees two cores above the item.

"Now you're getting it! Let's move on to the next step," the female voice explains.

"Try possessing a different core," the male voice orders. He tries to move it to a giant wrecking ball, but it was too far. He could only move a short distance. He sees a guitar and he finds that he can reach that core. He moves to it.

"I see...that's a guitar, is it? Ahem," the female voice says, clearly annoyed.

"Hey, what do you want from me? I would've preferred that giant wrecking ball—that would solve the problem real quick, I bet! ...But I guess I can't reach cores that are too far away," he answers.

"Well, I guess we'll see what you can do with that guitar," the male voice replies with a sigh. He didn't sound too happy about the guitar, either.

"Let's set time in motion again and find out," the female voice says dryly. The setting goes back to its regular colors. He quickly presses the right button and the guitar suddenly plays a tune.

"Who's there?!" The man exclaims, shooting a bullet into the guitar. The woman runs again, wondering if someone was here. The guitar falls down to the ground, since it was standing on a broken microwave. The man runs after the woman again. "Hold it!" He screams, pointing the gun again. The woman holds her hands up yet again.

"That's gotta be some of the slowest 'running away' I've ever seen," he says since she wasn't really running for her life the first two times. "Hmm, looks like I'm gonna have to come up with something more," he puts his hand on his chin. He suddenly notices that he had three green fingers. He looks down to see three toes on each foot. He touches his chest, only to feel a hard surface, his plastron. So he was a turtle...a giant turtle. The setting becomes red again and the guitar was in front of his dead body, where he could see blue swirls coming from his shell.

"Let's see. What core is close enough to possess from here?" He murmurs and he looks to the left to see the only core he could reach. He smiles to himself. "I guess all there is...is me. No time to be picky. I've got a woman to save!" He clenches his fist.

"We like your attitude. It's admirable, truly. But..." The female voice sounds hesitant.

"But what?" He questions and the two fall silent. "If I can manipulate objects...then I oughta be able to manipulate my own corpse, right?" He explains with a smile. He could see it now, just getting up and punching that guy in the face.

"Well...tell you what. Why don't you just try it and see?" The male voice suggests.

"Go ahead and possess your corpse," the female voice explains. The world goes back to its normal color. _"Okay, go ahead and try the trick button."_ He presses the right button and waits. But...it just sits there. Not even a limb moved. He keeps pressing it, but it was the same result.

"Huh? Nothing's happening," he says in shock.

 _"Exactly. Sad but true, we're afraid..."_ The male voice answers.

 _"You can only manipulate non-living things,_ " the female voice explains, sounding genuinely sad.

 _"Corpses, even if they aren't alive anymore, aren't really just ordinary things,"_ The male voice finishes in remorse.

"You've...gotta be kidding!" He exclaims, his mouth wide open. Then he remembers time was still in motion. "Wait, what about the woman?! What's happening to her?!" He exclaims in concern.

"Let's take a look, shall we?" The female voice asks. How was he supposed to do that?

 _"If you want to take a look around, you can slide the screen,"_ the male voice answers.

"Slide...the screen?" He questions in surprise.

 _"It's easy. Here, give it a try,"_ the female voice tells him.

 _"Touch the screen and slide it in any direction you want,"_ the male voice explains. He touches the screen and just like with cores, the screen follows the movement of his fingers. He quickly slides to the left and sees the man pointing the pistol at the woman.

"Well, sister. This is it. Two things are looking pretty dim right now. My eyesight...and your future!" He declares. Suddenly, there's a flash of white light and the woman falls to her knees. She lands on the floor, her arm outstretched. He looks in horror as he sees a bullet in her back. Not a minute later, she falls to the bottom floor. The man tips his hat after putting his gun away. A ring can be heard. It's the telephone from the second floor, which is underneath the junkyard. The man walks, but the body was in his way. HIS body. "Outta my way!" He exclaims, kicking it with his foot. The body falls somewhere underneath, just like with the woman. A yellow bag can be seen where the body was. The man disregards it and walks down the stairs. As the phone rings and rings, he slowly walks down the stairs. The man finally picks up the phone and puts it to his ear. "It's done. I'm on my way," he says to someone before hanging up.

He walks up to the green body, which is sitting on a chair somehow. His head is down. The man smirks and tips his hat to him before leaving. He failed...in the end, it looks like her fate remained unchanged. So what good are those 'ghost tricks' of his? She still died...but as he was thinking this...

A light shines on a blue desk lamp and a stop sign to the right. The desk lamp suddenly tilts and adjusts itself so that it's facing him. The lightbulb turns its head to him. The stop sign, which was bent, suddenly stands up. The word 'stop' faces him. The lightbulb flashes on from the lamp.

 _"Hello there,"_ he hears the male voice. The stop sign tilts up a little.

 _"How are you feeling?"_ The female voice wonders.

 _"Not very well, we imagine. A terrible tragedy, what happened tonight..."_ The male voice laments. He didn't know what to say. Two ordinary objects suddenly just moved and talked to him?

 _"Oh, ignoring us, are you? It's a little too early for you to be so stiff and cold, we'd say,"_ the female voice replies in a fake hurt tone. He slowly smiles as he recognizes them.

"Ah, so it was you guys. You were the voices in my head, right?" He assumes.

 _"Well, we wouldn't say 'voices' exactly. The dead don't have voices, you see,"_ the desk lamp answers.

 _"It's more like our thoughts were being beamed directly into your mind,"_ the stop sign explains.

 _"That's another little 'trick' ghosts can do,"_ the desk lamp finishes.

"It looks like my ghost tricks didn't do much good..." He murmurs sadly, glancing to the right as they see the woman on the ground, lifeless. _She still ended up just as dead as before..._

 _"That's true. For now,"_ the stop sign points out.

"For now?" He asks in confusion.

"We still have more to teach you about the powers of the dead—your 'ghost tricks,' " the desk lamp explains.

"...Who exactly are you two, anyway?" He questions curiously, since they seemed to know a lot about ghost tricks...were they dead as well?

"Before we answer that, I think we should save this young lady," the stop sign answers dismissively. He frowns and the desk lamp turns to the dead woman, turning on the light. The glow shadows over her.

 _"Isn't it a shame to see such a woman lying here like a discarded piece of trash?"_ The desk lamp asks.

"But what can I do? She's already dead," he answers in confusion. The desk lamp turns to him again.

 _"Time for more ghost lessons for you, my friend,"_ the stop sign tells him.

 _"First of all, we'll have you possess me,"_ the desk lamp replies.

"Possess you, eh?" He asks in amusement.

 _"Once you've done that, we'll tell you about another one of your powers,"_ the stop sign answers, not at all amused.

He ponders this in thought. Why is he so determined to save this woman? After all, it's not like he knows her. But, he guessed, he'll take the desk lamp and stop sign up on their invitation anyway. His reason is twofold. Number one, he's not the type to leave women lying around, discarded like trash. And number two, he doesn't have anything else to lose at this point. He sees a bubble above him with three x's. He touches it curiously.

 _"That thought bubble you just touched...those are your thoughts, what you're saying to yourself in your head,"_ he hears from the male voice.

"My thoughts, eh?" He wonders. _So, the dead don't have voices...and what we think is communicated directly to one another...so these thought bubbles are sort of a stand-in. I think I'm starting to get it._

 _"We think so, too,"_ he hears from the female voice.

 _"Just remember to keep an eye out for thought bubbles,"_ the male voice tells him.

"Okay, good idea," he replies. _I just might get some important clues from them._

 _"Now, then. In order to possess something, you first have to enter the Ghost World,"_ the female voice instructs, even though he kinda already knew that. He decides not to say anything about it, though, in case he needed a refresher.

 _"And the 'Ghost' button is your ticket in,"_ the male voice explains.

 _"The best thing to do is just try it,"_ the female voice says encouragingly. _The 'Ghost' button, eh? Guess I'll give it a little touch._

The desk lamp swings back and forth while the stop sign sways back and forth. He taps the left button and everything goes red. He could see five cores, including his own. "So this is the Ghost World," he murmurs, looking around. He sees a car door and slides to it. Behind the car door was a traffic cone. He possesses it and slides to a closed cot.

"By the way...have you taken a look at the right screen?" The female voice speaks up. He looks in thought.

"Hey, how come when time is flowing, we communicate by thoughts, but in the Ghost World, we can talk normally?" He asks curiously.

"Actually, everything we say here is still thoughts. It's different in the Ghost World," the male voice answers.

"When time is flowing, however, what you're saying is still thoughts as well," the female voice finishes. He nods slowly before he recalls what she had asked.

"What about the right screen?"

"It tells you what 'trick' you can perform with the object you're currently possessing," the male voice explains. He looks to the right to see a portion of the screen cut. There's a picture of the item and then a description of what he can do with it.

"The information is there for you to check out whenever you need it," the female voice tells him. He sees the item and words underneath it on the right screen. _So, in the case of this folding cot, it looks like I can unfold it._

"And to perform a 'trick' on the object you're possessing..." The male voice starts.

"You first have to return to the land of the living," the female voice finishes. They must be close if they know what each other is thinking.

"Oh, okay," he says.

"This time, the back button is your ticket out of the Ghost World," the male voice replies. He sees a button that says 'back' where the 'Ghost' button was when time is flowing.

"Well, good luck! All of us are counting on you!" The female voice exclaims in excitement. _Huh? Who's this 'all of us?'_ He decides not to question it now and he presses the back button. Everything was the same as he had left it. He touches the left button and the folding cot unfolds, one end in front of the desk lamp. He goes back into the Ghost World and possesses the desk lamp. He sees the woman lying on the ground, a yellow dot on the area she got shot.

"Huh, that's funny..." He murmurs.

"What is?" He hears from the male voice. He looks between the two dead bodies: His and hers. His body still has the blue swirls coming from it, like a flower that was emerging. She didn't have that, however.

"My corpse and her corpse...there's definitely different about the two," he mutters. _There's something emanating from my corpse._

"That's because...you're special," the female voice answers and he imagines a smile from her, that is if she wasn't a stop sign.

"What's that supposed to mean? Because I'm a turtle?" He asks in confusion.

"Not everybody who dies gets special powers, you know," the male voice points out. _So those waves are because of my 'powers of the dead,' eh?_

"Anyway..." The female voice says before they're back in the real world. He figured they must have done that, since he didn't press the button. The desk lamp stops swaying and so does the stop sign.

 _"Congratulations, you passed!"_ The male voice says happily. He smirks at his accomplishment.

"Well, what do you know. What prize do I get?" He replies playfully.

 _"A new power. What else?"_ The female voice answers in a 'duh' tone.

"Another one?" He asks curiously. He wonders what it was.

 _"Now, let's review. You can possess objects and manipulate them, right?"_ The male voice responds. The two objects turn to the woman.

 _"Now what do you suppose will happen if you possess a corpse?"_ The female voice asks. He had no idea he could even do that. But...

"Nothing, because I already tried that, remember? And nothing happened at all," he answers, recalling when he tried to possess his corpse in an attempt to save her. He frowns at his failure. If only he could've done more...

 _"True, you don't have the ability to manipulate a corpse,"_ the male voice says.

 _"However...there is something else you can do,"_ the female voice answers.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" He asks. The desk lamp lowers itself closer to the area she was shot.

 _"Why don't you try it and see?"_ They answer at the same time. He shrugs, not having much of a choice. He presses the left button and slides to her. He could see a green line, connecting himself to her. Suddenly, there's a flash of bright light and a blue light emerges from her. There's a flash of red and he sees a blue flame-like creature floating in front of him.

"What's this?!" He asks in shock. The creature doesn't answer. "Can you hear me?" He waves a hand, but there's no response. "Wait a minute. What's going on here?!" He demands, looking around. There was a red hole to the right, red surrounding it, kind of like a black hole. The whole place was red, like the Ghost World, but different.

"Hmm...it looks like she's unconscious, poor thing," the stop sign says, suddenly next to him.

"Unconscious? But...she's dead," he replies in confusion.

"Yes, but think back. Remember when you died?" The desk lamp points out.

"When you came to your senses, you'd been unconscious, too," the stop sign replies. _Unconscious, eh? Come to think of it, they're right. When I 'came to,' I was already dead._

"Let's leave her like this for now. And while she's resting, we can save her life," the desk lamp suggests.

"Oh, sure. You make it sound so easy," he mutters.

"And it IS easy," the stop sign retorts.

"When you use your powers on a corpse..." The desk lamp starts.

"You can go back to the past, to a time four minutes before that person's death," the stop sign finishes.

"Are you serious?! Back through time?!" He exclaims in shock.

"That's right. But...there's a catch," the desk lamp explains. Of course there was a catch.

"It only works on 'new corpses,' corpses that have been dead for less than one day," the stop sign replies.

"And she's still well within that limit," the desk lamp points out.

"You might want to give it a try, before it's too late," the stop sign tells him.

"But...this is crazy! None of it makes any sense!" He exclaims.

"We're talking about the powers of the dead here. It doesn't have to make sense," the desk lamp retorts with a huff and he hears chuckling from the stop sign.

"Now, then. Let's go, shall we? To the time four minutes before this woman was murdered!" The female voice says dramatically, making him laugh. She seemed to take away his nerves, slightly. He gasps, his eyes widening.

"H-Hey! Wait a second! I still don't know what you're talking about!" He exclaims and they both chuckle.

"You'll see. You'll see," they tell him, the same way they had said it before. A red button slides in front of him and it reads 'Rewind Time.' He presses it and he sees a glimpse of a black and red clock, but he could only see the gears and the hands spinning. There's a flash of bright light and he has no idea how he hasn't gone blind yet. And so now he's going back in time, to witness this woman's last four minutes alive. Not as a fuzzy, distant memory of the past, but as a very real, 'living' present...

 _7:01 PM. Zone D Waste Center. 4 minutes before death._

Everything is in red. Suddenly, the world goes back to its normal color, but a film screen appears, as if he's watching a movie. The woman is shaking his dead body awake, or trying to.

"Donnie, wake up! Are you okay?! What happened to you?!" She shouts. Is that his name? Donnie...he remembered something. She knew him. She knew him! But the way she sounded, it was like she didn't witness his death. "Oh, no...! He's...dead..." She whispers, covering her mouth as sobs escape her. Suddenly, her head snaps up and she turns around. He didn't see anyone, though. The woman stands up. "Who are you?!" She demands, backing up. The man appears, a yellow pistol in hand, just like the one he saw before. This must have been after he was shot, then. The man stops in front of his body, since it was blocking the woman. She bumps into the fence and looks back at it before turning back to the man in fear.

The man puts his gun on his shoulder, his other hand in his pocket. "Here's my business card right here, sister. My little golden friend," he replies, indicating his gun.

"You did this. You killed him, didn't you?!" She says, livid. Perhaps she had just gotten there? But what was she doing at a junkyard at that time of night?

"Instead of playing 'whodunit' right now, you oughta be more concerned about your own fate," he answers. He didn't kill him? It seemed like he did...after all, he had the motive and the weapon to do so...

So who did kill him?

The man points the gun at her, just like when he had woken up. The woman puts up her arms. "Who are you? Some kind of hitman? What do you want from me?" She asks nervously.

"They said we had to rub out all traces of Heart of Darkness left of this country," he replies darkly. Heart of Darkness? Maybe an organization she was a part of?

"Heart of Darkness...? What in the world is that?" She asks in confusion. She didn't seem to know the name, either.

"Beats me. I just do what I'm told. All I know is, you've got nowhere else to run to. Time to die, sister," the man explains and he looks up. The screen moves up to the giant wrecking ball he had tried to possess earlier, but couldn't reach. "As long as that bad-boy wrecking ball stays right up there where it belongs."

Was that a sign?

The screen moves back down to the two. "Look, all I want to know is, who are you?" She demands.

"You don't know me, and I don't know you. This is just business," he replies, twirling the gun so that it ends up in both of his hands. The woman looks to the side in fear. "So long, sister," he says. Not two seconds later, the grossing gate knocks the gun out of his hands, just like when he was learning about his powers. The woman pushes past him. "Off!" He shouts and quickly picks up his gun. "Hold it!" He yells, pointing the gun at her again. She shoots her hands up. The guitar suddenly plays a tune, and the woman runs. "Who's there?!" The man screams, shooting at the guitar. The instrument falls next to Donnie's body. "Hold it!" The man exclaims, and the woman throws her hands up in defeat yet again. Did this woman have a death wish or something?

"A shotgun? Kind of a flashy weapon for a hitman, dontcha think?" She asks nervously, sweating a bit.

"Not flashy. Just thorough," he answers, shrugging. Donnie realizes that this conversation must've happened when he tried to move his corpse. "They call me 'Nearsighted Snake,' but I never let my prey get away." So his name was Snake...it suited him.

"Ever thought about just buying a pair of glasses?" The woman asks and he had to laugh at that. She was pretty funny, although she was about to get killed...again.

"Well, sister. This is it. Two things are looking pretty dim right now. My eyesight...and your future!" There's a flash of white light as he hears the gunshot. He winces as the woman first falls to her knees before landing on the ground. Her arm outstretches before she falls onto the second floor. The screen turns gray.

"And there you have it. The last four minutes of her life," he suddenly hears from the desk lamp. Had they been watching him?

"No...!" He shouts, upset that he couldn't do better.

"It's kind of ironic, when you think about it. A woman toyed with by fate, and a man toyed with by ghosts..." The stop sign murmurs.

"But she still died..." Donnie whispers, tears stinging in his eyes.

"Yes, and you can change that—with your ghost tricks!" The desk lamp encourages.

"Just like you did four minutes ago," the stop sign replies. _Possess...and manipulate, eh...? Ghost and then Trick..._

"And you can rewind these four minutes as many times as you like too," the desk lamp answers.

"Now then, are you ready?" The stop sign asks. He smiles in determination, nodding.

"I am. Let's do this." Suddenly, there's a flash of white light and he sees an hourglass with the sand lifting back up. Another flash, and he's back in the real world, the woman shaking him like he had seen just four minutes ago. He sees the shadow of her dead body on the second floor, where he was. The desk lamp and stop sign are in front of him.

"So this is four minutes ago, eh? Fine. I get that. But what am I doing way down here?" He replies. The desk lamp and stop sign turn to him.

 _"That's just how it works,"_ the male voice answers.

 _"Her corpse was your gateway into the past, after all,"_ the female voice explains.

 _"So, naturally, your starting point is where her corpse was,"_ the male voice finishes.

 _And this is where she died. Okay, I get it now._ The desk lamp lowers itself to him.

 _"Hop in, then!"_ The female voice encourages. He presses Ghost and he moves to the desk lamp. The shadow of her corpse disappears and time starts to flow. The desk lamp turns around itself around.

 _"There are only four minutes before she dies,"_ the male voice reminds him.

 _"You better try and get to her as fast as you can!"_ The female voice tells him in a funny warning tone.

 _"There's no time to lose..."_ The male voice says seriously, as if silently telling her that this was not a laughing matter.

 _"I know that!"_ The female voice exclaims in defense.

"Who are you?!"

They look up to see the woman backing away into the fence as the man with the gun approaches her. He sees a blue hourglass with the words 'Time is passing.' _"The last seconds of her life are counting down,"_ the male voice tells him. _Looks like I better get up there fast._

 _"That's right. Have a look at the top screen on the right,"_ the female voice tells him.

"The top screen, eh?" He asks, seeing the blue hourglass.

 _"The sand in the top of the timer is how much time she has left,"_ the male voice explains.

 _"Get to her quickly, before all that sand is gone!"_ The female voice says dramatically. The desk lamp lifts itself up.

 _"Up you go, then!"_ The male voice explains. He presses Ghost and everything is red. He moves to a statue that was on the ground, and then a tire. He sees that he can roll it. He goes back to the normal world and presses Trick. The tire rolls to the left, propping up the statue. The tire stops next to the statue and he slides to the head of the statue. He moves to the door of a fridge and opens it. A blender drops from the fridge and rolls next to a red flag. He hears a click and looks to see the man pointing the gun at the woman, who has her arms up.

"Who are you? Some kind of hitman? What do you want with me?" She asks, sweating.

"They said we had to rub out all the last traces of Heart of Darkness left in this country," Nearsighted Snake answers.

"Heart of Darkness...? What in the world is that?" She asks and he finds himself wondering that as well. The blue hourglass in front of him was two-thirds full. _Uh-oh. Her time is running out!_

He presses Trick and the fridge closes. He presses Ghost and moves to the head of the statue, then the blender. He presses back and sees that he can turn on the blender. He suddenly sees a fan and grins. He presses Trick and the blender turns on. He presses Ghost and moves to the fan. He goes back and presses Trick. The fan lifts up before turning to the flag. Donnie presses Ghost and moves to the flag. He presses back and soon, the string of the flag gets caught in the blender, just like he planned. The flag lifts up.

"So long, sister," Snake says, about to shoot.

 _Just a few more steps! Hope I can make it!_

He presses Ghost and moves to a bike that's behind the hitman. He moves to the bike pedal and waits. Just like twice before, the crossing gate lifts up, knocking the pistol out of Snake's hands. The woman runs past him. "Oof!" He quickly picks up his gun and aims it at the woman. "Hold it!" The woman holds her arms up. Not a second later, the guitar lets out a tune, giving the woman a little time to escape. "Who's there?!" Snake shoots at the guitar and it falls near Donnie's corpse. "Hold it!" He aims his gun yet again and the woman holds her arms up.

 _"Now's your chance to change her fate!"_ He hears from the female voice. _There isn't much time left. This is coming down to a battle of seconds!_

 _Time till Death: 3_

Since it's the only thing he can possess, he presses Ghost and moves to the bike's bell. As soon as he goes back to the real world, he presses Trick. The bell goes off and the woman runs. Snake turns back in surprise before shooting, knocking the bell off the bike. "Dammit! What's going on here? Nearsighted Snake never misses, as long as the target is within point-blank range!" Snake says in annoyance.

The male voice sighs in relief. _"It looks like you made it in time...just barely."_

"Yup. She's still alive!" Donnie replies happily.

 _"And in that split second, hope was born!"_ The female voice exclaims.

 _"Just now, her fate was changed, although ever so slightly,"_ the male voice replies.

 _"Uhh, I wouldn't be too sure of that..."_ He hears from the female voice and he looks to see the woman blocked by a bridge that was up. Since there was a hole where the bridge was, she suddenly stops. She looks back at the bridge.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me! The bridge is up!" She exclaims nervously.

"That's because I did it," she hears and turns to see the hitman inching towards her. Donnie sees that while the bell was knocked off, he was on the handles. He goes to the Ghost World and looks at the right screen. He could move the bike! He goes to the normal world and presses Trick, making the bike move in front of the handle. He goes back, presses Trick, and the handle moves down. The wrecking ball moves from the left to the right, above the hitman who is aiming his gun at the woman. He gives a look of surprise, looking around but thankfully not up. "You hear something?" She doesn't answer, nor look at the wrecking ball, which she knows was moved.

Donnie goes back to the Ghost World and moves to the bottom of a ladder. He goes back and presses Trick. The ladder lifts up to a streetlight. He presses Ghost and moves up the wrecking ball, and then the handle that's holding it. He snickers as he sees he can open it. He goes back, presses Trick, and smiles when the handle opens, dropping the wrecking ball on the hitman. The bike lifts up to an electrical cord, since the wrecking ball lifts up the ladder from the drop. The woman, who had her hands up, watches in shock as the wrecking ball rolls past her, the man's squished body on the wrecking ball. It moves to where the bridge was before she hears a whistle, then a boom.

She falls to her knees, placing her hands on them. She couldn't believe it. What had just happened?

 _"How does it feel to save a lady's life?"_ The male voice asks and he could just imagine a smile on his face.

"So the danger is gone?" Donnie asks.

 _"Yep! It looks like the 'danger'-Mr. 'Danger,' in fact—rolled away somewhere,"_ the female voice answers happily.

 _"You used your powers to avert that woman's fate,"_ the male voice explains just as happy.

 _So I did all that, huh?_

 _"You most certainly did! Congratulations!"_ The female voice exclaims.

"YES!" Donnie shouts, jumping up happily. He saved her life.

 _"And we knew you could do it,"_ the male voice finishes.

 _Fate Averted!_

So he lost his life tonight and saved somebody else's life. The clock's hands spin to the right before there's a flash of white light. "I really need sunglasses," he mutters, rubbing his eyes. When he comes back to the present, it's raining. The woman sits down like before. He had saved the life of this woman, now sitting forlornly in the rain. Even as the story of his life on this planet comes to an end...

The woman sneezes before rubbing her arms, shivering from the cold downpour. A stranger...that word strikes a chord. And a terrible truth begins to dawn on him...

He can't recall a thing.

Who is he? What is this place? And, most important of all...

Why was he killed?

Suddenly, he's in the Ghost World. "Your story isn't over yet," the stop sign says, appearing in front of him. The desk lamp appears next to her.

"Who exactly are you two, anyway?" He asks.

"Just call me...'Lia,' " the stop sign answers.

"Ryan, heh heh," the desk lamp chuckles.

"Lia and Ryan, huh? So you aren't going to tell me your real names, I take it," Donnie says with a smirk.

"You haven't told us your name, either, actually," Lia argues.

"D...Donnie...that's all I remember," he answers. Lia and Ryan pause, which makes him worry a bit.

"...Yes, I guess the memories of the newly departed tend to get a bit...confused," Ryan answers, almost sadly.

"Some of us get our memories back. Others never do," Lia replies, just as sad.

"But, if you ask us, does it really matter?" Ryan asks.

"After all, there's only one path left to the dead...and that is, to disappear," Lia explains. He gives a shocked look.

"Disappear...?" He murmurs.

"When the sun rises in the morning...I'm afraid you're going to cease to exist," Ryan tells him.

"Wh-What?!" He exclaims, sweating. _Tomorrow morning...?!_ "But wait a minute...these powers of the dead..."

"Yes?" Lia questions.

"I'd like to use them to save somebody else's life," he explains.

"And whose life might that be?" Ryan asks.

"Mine," he answers in determination.

"Ah...we see," Lia replies.

"But think about it this way. If we could use ghost tricks to save ourselves..." Ryan starts.

"Wouldn't _we_ have tried to save ourselves as well? I mean, look at us. I'm a stop sign and he's a desk lamp," Lia finishes.

"...Why a stop sign and a desk lamp, anyway?" He wonders.

"We're not really sure, ourselves, to be honest," Ryan answers.

"But in any case, it seems we are unable to use our powers on our own corpses," Lia argues.

"You're kidding!" He exclaims.

"You'll only exist in this world until tomorrow morning," Ryan tells him.

"We're afraid...that fact can't be changed," Lia answers sadly.

 _So there's really no escaping my own death...?!_ In the morning, he's going to cease to exist. Apparently, there's nothing he can do to change that. But still the same, he still wants to know...he wants to know his story. The lost story of his fate, right up until the time of his death. And until he learns that...

"...You won't be able to rest in peace, right?" Ryan suddenly asks and he doesn't answer. It was almost as if they knew him. They knew what he wanted to do.

"Very well. We understand how you feel," Lia replies.

"You want to go and learn the truth and about your death, as well as you should," Ryan tells him.

"I will. But let's see...how should I go about doing that, I wonder?" He replies, his hand underneath his chin. _I can't even imagine what the first step would be._

"The first step? That's easy. You start with her," Lia says and they go back to the normal world. They look down at the woman sitting in the rain. She sneezes again.

 _"The person who witnessed your death. She should have some important clues, don't you think? After all, she knew you enough to know your name,"_ Ryan explains.

 _Hey! That's right! And not only that..._

"She might know who killed me!" He exclaims.

 _"Yes, we'd say there's a very good possibility of that,"_ Lia says. _What was I doing here tonight, in a place like this? That woman probably knows the answer._

 _"That's right. Never forget that,"_ Ryan tells him.

 _"She's the key to everything tonight,"_ Lia explains.

 _"The key to everything? What do you mean?"_ He asks.

 _"You'll know soon enough, when you regain your memory,"_ Ryan answers. _Yeah, I'm like a blank sheet of paper right now...I should probably keep some kind of record of everything I learn tonight._

 _"That's a good idea! Check out your journal to view everything you've learned. Check it out every now and then,"_ Lia encourages.

 _"Memories aren't the most reliable thing, you know,"_ Ryan says. A journal appears in front of him, ink on the first page. He grins and slaps it shut.

 _"Alright, then,"_ Lia starts.

 _"We wish you good luck!"_

He nods gratefully and goes back to the Ghost World. Donnie moves to the bike handles. He goes back and presses Trick. The bike shimmies on the electrical cord before it stops next to a green and white umbrella. He presses Ghost and moves to the umbrella after moving to the bike pedals. He goes back and presses Trick. The umbrella opens up and descends down in front of the woman. She looks in surprise before standing up.

"What in the world just happened...? The crane moved all by itself, and then that big iron fell all by itself...it started raining all by itself, and then an umbrella came down all by itself..." She suddenly gasps. "Oh, my goodness! Don't tell me I have psychokinetic powers!"

Donnie couldn't help but chuckle. If only she knew it was him. She walks over and picks up the umbrella, inconveniently taking Donnie with her. She descends down the stairs and stops in front of Donnie's body, which was somehow on the chair even though the hitman is dead. There, in front of his body...

Was a robot turtle? The robot turtle beeps at the woman before jumping on his corpse. The turtle looks at him before jumping off and walking away. The woman stops in front of his corpse. "Donnie..." She whispers tearfully. His eyes widen at this. Apparently, they were close. Too bad he couldn't remember a thing besides his name. "But seriously...what in the world just happened?" She asks herself before seeing something in Donnie's belt. She bends down and picks up a piece of white paper. "What's this? Some kind of note?" She glances at the note.

Donnie gasps. He might remember something from it! He presses Ghost and moves to the paper in her hand. _Did I write this note? Maybe I should give it a read._

 _"So, you don't remember writing it, huh?"_ Ryan suddenly asks.

"No, I don't remember writing it," he confirms. But before he can press Trick, the phone rings from behind the woman. She looks towards it, putting the piece of paper in her pocket. Darn!

He goes back to the Ghost World. _Dang it! I didn't get a chance to read that note._

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get a chance," Ryan tells him.

"Not to interrupt your guy chat, but...I wonder if you've realized... _where_ this telephone call is coming from?" Lia asks in annoyance.

"Huh? How would we know that?" Donnie asks in confusion. Lia curses under her breath before sighing.

"Think back. _Before_ you helped her avert her fate, didn't a telephone call come in at around this time, too?!" She explains, aggravated.

"...Oh yeah!" Ryan and Donnie exclaim at the same time. He recalls that when the woman had died, the hitman had accepted a call...what did he say?

 _"It's done. I'm on my way."_

 _THAT telephone call!_

"Oh, I get what she's saying! In other words...at this very moment, on the other end of this telephone line..." Ryan realizes.

"Is the culprit who ordered your murder and probably hers too! Finally, you learn!" Lia exclaims.

"HEY!" Ryan shouts.

"What?!" Donnie demands. They go back to the normal world.

 _"We recommend you possess the telephone,"_ Lia tells him.

 _"Once you've done that...we'll tell you about another one of your ghost tricks,"_ Ryan explains. He goes back to the Ghost World, moves to the telephone, and goes back to the normal world. And then he sees him...right there, on the other end of the line, he sees the face of the man who ordered him dead. He sees a tall man with blades, a helmet, and a cape sitting on a throne.

"Is it done?" He asks, his voice deep and threatening. The woman doesn't answer. "Speak up, fool. Did you get her?"

"...Who is this?" The woman questions sharply. He didn't answer at first. A few minutes passes by and Donnie glares at him.

"Hmm, I see. I...apologize, my lady. I must've dialed the wrong number," he hangs up.

 _Trace Complete_

 _So that's him, eh?! The man who stole my life!_

"That's right. So what do you think? Would you like to see him?" Lia asks.

"You better believe I would!" Donnie exclaims, seething with anger.

"Then you would do well to listen to us," Ryan tells him in a serious tone.

"We ghosts exist by possessing inanimate objects. However..." Lia starts.

"There is one way we can move from place to place over great distances," Ryan continues.

"And that would be...?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"The dead can jump from point A to point B...by moving over phone lines! Dun dun dun!" Lia says dramatically, Ryan chuckling softly.

"Say wha?" Donnie questions.

"We've done all we can to help you," Ryan explains.

"You'll have to do the rest on your own," Lia tells him.

"You're not coming with me?" Donnie asks sadly. He had already started to get used to them and be friends with them...

"We're sorry, we're glad we met you too," Ryan says.

"But our powers have grown weak. We've used most of our remaining strength just to get here tonight," Lia replies.

"But we had to come, to ask for your help," Ryan finishes.

"My help?" Donnie wonders.

"Many mysterious things will happen in this city tonight," Lia explains.

"We're both trusting in you to get to the bottom of them and find out the truth," Ryan says.

"You're the only one who can do it, Donnie!" Lia exclaims.

"We want you...to use your powers of the dead to find this truth," Ryan replies seriously.

"...I'm grateful to you, both of you, for everything you've done. But I can't promise I'll help," he answers. They don't answer, which gives him a signal to continue. "Tomorrow morning, I cease to exist. That doesn't give me a whole lot of time...I need to pursue my own mystery, find out the truth about me."

"That's more than enough," Lia answers and he could imagine a smile on her face...if she had one.

"Huh?" He asks in confusion.

"If you succeed in doing that, you'll have done what we asked anyway. The two are the one and the same," Ryan says.

"One and the same?" He asks. _Hmm...the desk lamp and the stop sign know a whole lot more than they're telling me._

"Now, then," Lia interrupts.

"From that call a moment ago, you now have the culprit's telephone number," Ryan explains.

"The rest is all up to you," Lia tells him.

"Good luck!" They encourage at the same time. He looks at them and smiles before pressing the new number. Suddenly, he's whisked away through the phone cord, leaving the stop sign and lamp to swivel around happily.

And so the story of the search for himself beings, a story that will last one night only. Tomorrow morning, he will cease to exist. And he's surprisingly okay with this face. He has to find the answers before the sun comes up. Why was he killed? And what exactly is going to happen in this city tonight?


	2. Chapter 2

**Angel: Yes, Shredder was the one who had Donnie killed, but he's not behind everything that's happening tonight. He's not even the one who killed Donnie himself, anyway. The culprit is not obvious so you can't guess who it is XD Also, I included an OC here who does not belong to me. I won't say who she is since that's a spoiler, but you'll know everything when time comes.**

 **Yesterday, they changed the new episode for Rise of TMNT to be slated for the 19th! Don't know if that's true or not, but yay, there's still a chance that it is! Also, saw Bird Box...don't know what the hype was about. Didn't really care for it.**

 _7:31 PM_

Who was he? Why was he killed? The one who is sure to know the answers to those questions is the man who ordered his murder. At the other end of the phone line is the very man who had him killed. Their meeting...it's all so sudden. He's not sure he's really prepared for what's to come. He appears in a nicely furnished room, the man reading a file. A robot with an alien brain inside stands across the table, hands behind his back.

"Hmm, yes...if what I'm reading in this file is true...this woman could be interfering with my plans. She must be destroyed—tonight." He closes the file. "That Nearsighted Snake...his skills are as feeble as his eyesight."

"Not to worry, one called Shredder. Kraang has already taken the next step in the plan that is known as the plan to destroy the target," the Kraang bot hits a button. The painting at the table turns around and the chandelier turns into a projector. It turns around to the screen, showing the same red-haired woman that Donnie saved.

"Hmm, yes...but the last thing I ever expected was to talk to the target herself...even if it was only over the telephone. It was unplanned."

 _What is this place? These oddly luxurious furnishings...this oddly horrifying air...and that odd little machine...I've never seen a room like this before. But one thing's for sure...these people are assassins. And, what's more...that red-headed woman is another of their targets._

The man with the blades...Shredder opens up the file again. _That file the 'Shredder' has...maybe it'll give me some information on my red-head._

 _New info has been added._

Donnie goes to the Ghost World and goes to the open folder. Before he can do anything, Shredder closes it. He presses the right button. _It seems this file contains info about that red-head. But I can't read it when it's closed..._

The file opens up on its own, surprising Shredder. "What is this? Did you see that? The file just opened up on its own."

"Not to worry, one called the Shredder. Kraang has already seen to it that the one called Miss April O'Neil is no longer a threat to the plan that is known as the 'plan.' "

"That is not what I am speaking of, fool!" Shredder spits, glaring at him.

 _Hmm...'April O'Neil,' eh? So that's her name, is it? But this file...it's like it's written in a foreign language. I can't read it at all._

"Kraang suggests putting away the file that is known as the file of targets to relax," Kraang says. Shredder closes the file and Kraang slams a button. A painting moves behind Shredder, revealing a file cabinet. He places the file inside and the painting moves back to its regular spot. Kraang hits the button again and the screen disappears, turning back into a painting of Shredder...and a black-haired girl with the same type of armor as him. The chandelier reappears and the table turns around, the telephone disappearing. A bowl of fruits appears in front of Shredder. "The one called Shredder has a significant job ahead of the night that is tonight."

Shredder eats a grape. Donnie presses Ghost and goes to the hidden projector. Pressing Trick, he makes the projector screen appear, taking Shredder by surprise yet again. April appears on the screen. "You fool! Are you trying to frighten me?"

"Apologies, one called Shredder. But Kraang did not touch the button which is the button to project April O'Neil. The equipment that is the equipment Kraang is operating is malfunctioning."

Shredder breathes heavily. "Technology is certainly convenient for our use, but our use of it is starting to become...flawed. In any case, I do not wish to see the face of our current target."

"As you wish, one called the Shredder. Kraang suggests another face which is a face we've eliminated," Kraang slams a button and the screen changes...to him.

 _…! Hey! That's...!_

"Ah, yes...Donatello..." Shredder murmurs.

"If all goes well with the deal that is the 'deal' on the night that is tonight, we will have the power to conquer the place that is known as New York, one called Shredder."

"Yes...it is a very important night, indeed, Kraang. Mistakes cannot be made...and that is why we cannot afford to trust Donatello...no, we must be very careful..."

"Donatello...that must be my full name..." Donnie murmurs. Now that I hear it, it does sound familiar... "A deal, eh? What could that be all about?" _Just what exactly was I up to, anyway?_

Kraang hits the button to change the screen back to the painting. The chandelier goes back to its regular spot above the table. "Kraang is prepared for the night that is tonight."

Shredder eats another grape. "Now all we have to do...is pluck the fruit of success..."

 _One thing's clear. These villains seem to know me. And another thing...there seems to be some kind of connection between me and this 'April.' Why else would our names both come up here like this? After all, she knew my name...we must've been friends..._

Donnie makes the projector come back again and he possesses the painting. "Where is your head, Kraang?! I made myself clear I do not wish to see this face..."

"Kraang deduces it to be a malfunction from the equipment which is the equipment that is malfunctioning."

"Well, get it fixed...unless you want to see me malfunctioned," Shredder makes his gauntlet appear from his arm.

"Agreed, one called Shredder." Kraang makes the painting reappear along with the chandelier.

 _These guys murdered me, and now they're targeting the red-head. What kind of 'connection' did we have with each other, besides the fact we knew each other?_

Donnie goes to the Ghost World before possessing the bowl of fruits, and then the machine Kraang is using. He goes back and presses Trick. The machine moves all by itself and the telephone replaces the bowl of fruits.

"It is a miserable state of events when I can be annoyed by a telephone that doesn't even ring," Shredder murmurs and the phone rings at that moment. "It's even more pathetic to be startled by the same telephone twice..."

"The problem which is the problem must be that which is known as solved. The 'Miss O'Neil' problem."

 _What?! 'April'…?!_

"Yes...you mentioned taking the next step a minute ago, didn't you?" Shredder questions.

"Kraang sent the one known as 'One Step Ahead' Kraang to that which is known as her apartment. The call from that what is known as the telephone is from the one that is-"

"I get it!" Shredder interrupts in annoyance, picking up the phone and putting it to his ear.

"April is in danger again!" Donnie exclaims and goes to the Ghost World, quickly moving to the phone. He sees One Step Ahead Kraang (Kraang Subprime) in April's apartment.

"It's me again! I'm at her house now, Shredder."

"And? Out with it, fool! Did you take care of her?" Shredder demands.

"...No. She's not home yet."

"What?!" Shredder exclaims in anger.

"If she was here, they wouldn't call me One Step Ahead now, would they?" He wonders.

"In any case...once you've taken care of her-"

"Then you'll promote me to the head of the hitman division? I like the sound of that..."

"NO! You'll get to live...unlike that fool Snake..." Shredder threatens.

"We can discuss my new salary later," One Step Ahead looks at his fingers.

"GET BACK TO WORK!"

"Okay, okay, I'll get back to work. Geez Louise..." He hangs up.

 _Trace Complete_

"What did One Step Ahead Kraang report regarding the target that is known as April O'Neil?"

"He asked me to raise his salary...maybe I should reward him with Nearsighted Snake's pay..."

"April..." Donnie murmurs. "I can't lose her! She's my only lead if I ever hope to solve the mystery of me!" He presses Trick and the phone line appears with all the numbers he's gathered. He scrolls to April's apartment and travels through the phone line. The alien hitman turns around with his gun, sitting on the couch. He points the gun at the door.

The telephone guided him to April's apartment. Fortunately, April isn't here yet. But, unfortunately, the hitman is...and there are a couple of other unfortunate little developments waiting for him it seems...A little lizard mutant girl is tied up. She has long chestnut brown and wavy hair, long down to her waist with a big red bow tying it to a half ponytail. She has emerald green eyes and spots on her lizard skin, she's pretty short for an 8-year-old. She has a red long sleeved shirt under an overall dress with white tights and brown boots.

"Hmm...it looks like there's an unlucky little lady here tonight..." He turns to his left...to see a dead Pomeranian. "And an even unluckier little doggie...the poor, brave little warrior. He must've been trying to defend his mistress. If April came home now..." I have to do something about this situation...and fast.

Donnie goes to the Ghost World, moving to the cabinet door and then to the dead dog's corpse. There's a flash of light and just like with April, there's a blue flame-like creature.

"Huh...? Where am I...? And, more to the point, WHO am I?" The creature starts speaking. Donnie didn't know what to do, since last time, April didn't speak like this little doggie is..."WHO AM I?!"

"Uh, are you talking to me?" Donnie asks in surprise.

"Of course! Do you see anybody else around here, dude?! ...Unless...they're invisible..."

 _If I remember right, the dead don't have voices. Their thoughts reach the other person directly. I guess that explains why this dog is talking to me right now._ "This is your mistress's apartment. And you are...presumably, the little doggie who died here," Donnie explains as best as he can.

"Died? ...I'm dead?!"

 _Let's see. The dead lose their memories. They even forget what they look like. And so that's what this blue 'flame' shape is all about..._

"Oh!" The blue flame turns back into the dog. "There's no time to lose, dude! Miss Tori! Miss Tori is in trouble!"

Donnie's mouth opens in shock. "You mean, you remember?! You know who you are?!"

"That's right, bruh...I'm Michelangelo...or just Mikey. I'm a Pomeranian! Wait...Donnie! My master! Well, one of them..."

"Wait...you know me?" Donnie gives a confused look.

"Yeah! But wait...you died...just like Splinter, Leo, Mona, and Amy..." He sulks.

"How do you know that?!" Donnie demands.

"I saw it, bruh! I saw you in the junkyard on a paper! I saw your body...but now you're here! Wait...are you a ghost?!" He says in excitement.

"...Yes...I'm a ghost who's lost his memories...but I was your master?" Donnie tilts his head in confusion.

"Oh...one of them! Splinter, Leo, Amy, Raph, April, Tori, and you!" Mikey wags his tail.

 _Well...I guess now I know it's possible for the dead to regain their memories...thanks to this little doggie! Who I apparently shared with..._

"Tori! Toriiiii! My mistress is in trouble, dude! And I vowed to devote my life protecting her! But I died before I could rescue her! How could I let her down like this?!" He laments.

"So you're more worried about your mistress's safety than your own death, eh?" Donnie grins. "I like your moxie, little doggie." _Looks like it's time to go back to four minutes before this little guy's death. Time to save his life!_

 _New info has been added._

Donnie presses Rewind Time and the clock appears, turning back time.

 _7:33 PM Wolf Hotel: Room 201, 4 minutes before death_

"Let's see," Donnie murmurs, thinking to himself. "First of all, I'd better see what I can find out about your death, little guy."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but...where the heck are we, dude?!" Mikey exclaims.

"Huh? You followed me?" Donnie looks in confusion.

"Bruh...as a dog, it's my instinct to follow...the master...or you brought me with you. Either way," Mikey sits down, wagging his tail.

 _Hmm. It looks like the dead can move around together, too._ "This is...the land of four minutes before your death," he explains, since he didn't know what it was called. The past? Four minutes into the past?

"Really?! We traveled through time?! So that means you're gonna save Tori, right?!" Mikey wags his tail happily.

"Aren't you even surprised? I mean, we just traveled through time, and-"

"Not especially! I mean, Tori can walk around on two legs, but I can't do that! So if she can do that...then it's not so weird that you can walk backwards through time!"

"So that's the way your mind works, huh? I guess that's reasonable enough," Donnie shrugs.

"Come on, come on!" Mikey tries pushing Donnie with his leg. "Let's get it on!"

Donnie chuckles at him. "Okay, okay. First we watch your last four minutes unfold. Then we use what we learned to save Tori." _Just like when I saved April at the junkyard!_ "If we watch closely, we oughta be able to get a few leads. Keep your eyes open!"

"Duh! Leave it to me to sniff out a few clues!" Mikey stands bravely, growling. Donnie chuckles, petting him on the head.

The girl, Tori, is looking for something under the couch. She crawls out near a sitting Mikey, holding up something. "Yippee! Found the remote!" She turns on the TV and Mikey's head shoots up at the noise. He starts barking. By the look of the apartment, it looks like it's near Christmas time. A lady next door with greying hair and a business suit walks up to the other side of the wall. Donnie presumes that it must be their neighbor, and she didn't look happy. She starts pounding on the wall.

"Shut that mutt up!" She knocks down a lamp with her banging and Tori hears it, turning off the TV to calm Mikey down. She walks up to the Pomeranian, bending down to him.

"No, Mikey! You're not supposed to bark! Miss Campbell is crabbier than ever tonight." Mikey quiets down at her voice.

"If it barks again...I'll knock this wall down!" Miss Campbell threatens. She walks away and Tori places her hands on her cheeks.

"You don't want her to knock the wall down, do you, boy?" She sighs, thinking. "Why do you like to bark so much, anyway? You sure are cute, but just don't get us killed, okay? Darn. I really wanted to watch TV, too. Hey, I know! I'll listen to music!" She smiles brightly and walks over to the small fish aquarium near the phone. The red headphones are right above the aquarium. She grabs them, but they slip out of her hands. "Oops! Oops!" She catches them in time. "Whew! That was close!"

She places the wireless headphones over her ears and loud music starts to play. "I'm in the mood for donuts tonight," she wheels a cart of donuts near the left side of the couch. She sits down near the cart and starts reading. She grabs a donut and eats it. While she's blocking the rest of the world out, a donut drops near the phone. A rat crawls up to it and Mikey hears it, barking at the intruder. Miss Campbell comes back and pounds on the wall.

"I'll knock this wall down!"

The rat crawls away with the donut. Soon after, One Step Ahead kicks the door open. Tori doesn't even hear or see him. He points the gun at Mikey.

"Hmm, I don't like it when jobs outside the original scope crop up...I have to put it down as a separate charge, and accounting never likes that! But I guess it can't be helped...sorry, kid." He shoots Mikey, killing him as his legs shoot up after falling onto the ground.

And the saddest part? Tori never even knew at that moment. Nor did she ever look up.

"So that's the whole dramatic story of what happened four minutes before you died," Donnie murmurs.

"...Dude...I'm dead...I'm kind of shocked, to tell you the truth...okay, let's get started on saving her!" Mikey says, not even fazed by the fact Tori didn't see him being killed. Or heard it.

"But, let's see...how are we going to do this? It seems to me the easiest way would be for you to take a big bite out of that man's leg," Donnie thinks.

"Oh, I can't do that! Whenever some dude I don't know comes around, all I wanna say is welcome to my crib! I can't help it!" Mikey explains.

"Okay, then I guess the only thing we can do is get the little lady to help herself somehow," Donnie guesses, since he can't stop a bullet with his powers. Or prevent someone from coming in.

"Oh, I don't think she could do that! Did you notice her putting those red things on her head?" Mikey reminds him.

"Red things...? Oh, you mean the headphones?" Donnie asks.

"Whenever she puts those red things on, that's it! I can call her name until my throat is sore...but she never hears me, dude! To be perfectly honest...I hate those red things!" Mikey confesses.

"Hmm, you're right. With those headphones on, our little lady doesn't even hear the sound of the intruder," Donnie mutters. _So maybe that's our first lead. Now we know we have to do something about that._

They go back to the present and Donnie appears in Mikey's ghost. He goes to Ghost and moves to the cabinet door, then the phone, then the umbrella. He goes back and presses Trick, the umbrella moving down to tilt the headphones. Donnie moves it back up as Tori finds the TV remote.

"Yippee! Found the remote!" She turns on the TV and sits down. And of course, Mikey starts barking. Since Donnie couldn't really move from his position, he decided to wait for his chance.

"Shut that mutt up!" Miss Campbell shouts as the lamp is knocked down. Tori stands up and runs to calm down Mikey. She pets him as she reassures him. She walks back to the couch, sulking a little. She wonders why Mikey barks so much before standing up and walking over to the headphones. As she grabs them, Donnie presses Trick, knocking the headphones out of her hands and into the aquarium. Tori looks in shock, looking inside the water.

"Oh, no! Darn." She turns to Mikey. "How did I manage to do that...? April just bought those headphones, too. How about if we tell her you did it, Mikey?"

He barks twice in response. "Darn. Now I can't even listen to music, either. I think the gods are playing tricks on me tonight! No fair!" She pouts, crossing her arms.

"Forgive me, Tori! I'm only doing it to protect you!" Mikey wails.

 _So, what? Now you think you're one of the gods, eh?_

"Huh...? No...! Never mind that!" Mikey argues. "The important thing is, we managed to change the situation, dude!"

"That's true," Donnie confirms. "At least now we can use the little lady's ears to help us."

 _Fate Changed!_

Tori walks back to the couch and Donnie goes to Ghost, going to the cabinet. He makes it open, but it only slams open before closing. Tori rolls her donuts to the couch. "I'm in the mood for donuts tonight." She sits down and Donnie sees that he can move to the cart! He does so and as soon as Tori opens her book, he moves the cart to the right side, near the Christmas tree. She moves her arm to grab a donut, but finds that the cart's no longer there.

"Where'd the donuts go?" She looks around and sees the cart, moving to the right side. She eats a donut and Donnie goes Ghost, possessing the star on top of the tree. He presses Trick and the star plays a tune. Tori shoots up in surprise and Mikey barks. Pounding can be heard.

"Shut that mutt up!" Tori shuts off the star as an ornament falls to the ground. Tori walks back to the couch as Mikey stops barking. Donnie goes up to the flying ornament on the ceiling, Santa riding a reindeer. As soon as the ornament is under the fallen lamp, Donnie goes to it before possessing the door underneath the TV. The door flies open, making the red ornament fly under the couch. He goes Ghost, to the lamp, then the flying ornament, then the star, and then the bowl holding the donuts. He makes it tilt so that a donut falls to the ground. A female rat walks up to it.

Donnie goes Ghost, then to the star, then the path he took to the cabinet under the TV. He presses Trick, making the rat and donut fly under the couch. Mikey sees the intruder, barking. He slides under the couch, barking at the rat. Tori hears him.

"Mikey, no!" She sighs a little, crawling underneath the couch. The rat crawls away with her snack. "What are you doing under here, you silly boy? Aw, my little Mikester! You're always doing the cutest things!"

Suddenly, One Step Ahead kicks the door open like before. Tori holds Mikey's mouth gently so he won't bark. She stays quiet, scared. The hitman looks around. "Nobody's home, eh?" He steps forward, sitting on the couch. He points his gun to the door. "My prey is bound to come home sometime. Might as well make myself comfortable from my long trip! My butt's aching..." He picks up a donut, throwing it into his mouth.

"There! Our little lady's fate has been averted!" Donnie says.

"It has...?" Mikey asks in confusion. "The poor dudette is still curling up in a ball, shaking with fear."

"Well, yeah, that's true...but that's not so bad. In the scheme of things, I'd say she's just fine. And look, you're not dead!" Donnie explains.

"Oh, yeah...we did it! We did it! WE DID IT! Booyakasha!" Mikey cheers.

"Booyakasha?" Donnie chuckles. "What does that even mean?"

"I dunno, but it's fun to yell!"

"Well, to be more accurate, you're the one who did it," Donnie elaborates.

"Huh? Me...? I...saved Tori...?" Mikey murmurs quietly.

"Yup. You're the one who lead her under the sofa, right?" Donnie asks. Mikey falls silent. "You protected your mistress. I can attest to that!"

"Oh...oh, thanks, dude!" Mikey runs up, licking his cheek. Donnie laughs, trying to make him stop.

 _Fate Averted!_

"Can I ask a question?" Mikey wonders.

"Sure, what is it?" Donnie smiles softly.

"What exactly are those awesome powers of yours?" Mikey tilts his head.

"Oh, you mean my ghost tricks? Apparently, they're the power to manipulate inanimate objects," Donnie explains.

"If they're 'ghost' tricks, then can I do them, too?! I'm dead too, after all!" Mikey wags his tail.

"I-I guess...?" Donnie asks nervously. That's how it goes, right?

"I've been staring at those donuts as hard as I could for a long time now...but they won't budge for me!" Mikey whines. "Why, dude?!"

"I don't really know," Donnie answers sheepishly. "I guess you just don't have that power."

"Well, I have one thing to say about that...it's not fair!" Mikey exclaims.

 _Sorry, but I guess not everybody who dies gets the powers of the dead..._

"So what's going to happen to me now?" Mikey questions.

"Nothing, really. Your death has been erased. You'll just go back to being a happy little doggie, living your everyday life. I guess this means goodbye," Donnie gives a little sad smile, since he was starting to like the little puppy. He had an energetic air that he preferred.

"But...we'll see each other again soon, right?" Mikey gives him the puppy eyes.

"Yeah, maybe. If you die again," Donnie tells him, though he hoped that would be unlikely.

"What you did for me tonight...I'll never forget it!" Mikey declares.

"Heh heh. Well, I guess we'd better be getting back to the present. Time to see what happens next in our story!" Donnie explains. Time is reset to when the hitman is still in the apartment, Tori trembling underneath the couch. "And now a new present is born. The little lady is still curled up in a ball and shaking with fear. And the little doggie's wagging his tail happily. So what am I going to do now? I think I'll watch for a while and see what happens." _Hmm...Mikey was my dog, eh? I don't think he'll be helpful about my murder, though...if I meet him again, I should ask him about my life._

The hitman looks around with his gun before the phone rings. He stands up and answers it. "What?! Still at the junkyard?! Alright, alright. I'm on my way." He hangs up with a slightly annoyed look. "Hmph. I guess my prey likes to play 'hide and seek.' She hasn't had enough of that junkyard yet, apparently. I can't let Nearsighted Snake beat me out on this one. I'd better hurry," He leaves, pointing his gun along the way as if someone was gonna stop him. Tori crawls from underneath the couch, Mikey following. She paces around.

"What was that all about?" She turns to Mikey. "You saved me, didn't you, Mikey? I just know you did!" The phone rings, scaring her. Mikey starts barking at the noise and she hesitates. "Maybe I shouldn't answer it..." She thought it could be another villain out to get them, but she answers the phone anyway. She puts the receiver to her ear. "April!"

Donnie goes to the Ghost World, jumps to the lamp, then the flying ornament. He waits until it flies near the star on the tree and he jumps to it. He goes to the bowl of donuts before noticing something. Mikey has a core. "There's that little doggie, all curled up on the floor...dreaming away the life we worked so hard to get back for him...that's fine, but what's up with that core? The dead can't possess living creatures. That's one of the rules Lia and Ryan taught me. So what would a living and breathing doggie be doing with a core...? I'd better try possessing him and see."

He does and is back in the dog's consciousness. "Oh, it's you! It's you! Donnie!" Mikey runs around Donnie happily.

"Hi Mikey," Donnie smiles, bending down and petting Mikey on the head.

"Remember the drama?! That tearful goodbye?!" Mikey asks excitedly. "The memories..."

"Hey Mikey...do you happen to remember what my life was like?"

"You mean as my master? Oh, that's easy! You were almost never around, always hiding something...it was weird, dude. But you always made time for me!" Mikey wags his tail.

"That's...not very helpful, but thanks anyway. You know, it's strange...I wonder why you remember me, now that you're alive again? Do you remember your time being dead?" Donnie wonders.

"Of course! All of it!"

 _Okay, let me get this straight. The memory of being dead doesn't disappear. And the dead I meet in the Ghost World develop a core when they return to the land of the living. And if I then possess that core, I can talk to that person!_

"It looks like that, yeah," Mikey agrees. Donnie goes back and performs a trick on the cart of donuts, moving it to the left near Tori. He goes Ghost and jumps to the phone. April is on the other end, in the same spot she was when Donnie last saw her.

"Tori! Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" She exclaims in relief before frowning. She can't tell the girl about Donnie dying tonight...not now, anyway. It'd be too much for her to bare.

"Well, I don't know if I'm 'okay,' exactly. You won't believe what just ha-"

"Listen to me!" April interrupts, sounding serious. "You've got to get out of there, right now!"

"But what about dinner? I was thinking about spaghetti tonight..." Tori has a happy grin on her face.

"I won't be going back there for a while. And you might be in danger if you stay there, too!" April warns.

"But I already was in danger. Just a little while ago-"

"Meet me at that restaurant, Murakami's, in the Upper East Village!" April tells her.

"Upper East Village? I dunno...that's pretty far," Tori places a hand on her cheek in thought.

"Just hurry, okay?! Oh, and one more thing...bring the music box with you, okay?" April demands.

"Music box...?" By the way she asked, she either hasn't seen it or doesn't know where it is. "I love music boxes! Is it a present for me?"

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't play. I can't even get the lid open," April frowns.

"Then you can't very well call it a 'music box' then, can you? More like just box," Tori grins in amusement.

"Just bring it, okay?! It's kind of big, and it's made out of wood," April explains.

"Okay, I will. Where is it?" Tori swings her legs back and forth.

"I kinda hid it in that room you're in..." Suddenly, an old monkey mutant walks up behind her, a blue pigeon on his head. The bird has red eyes with yellow irises. The pigeon flies to his hand.

"Excuse me."

"Eeeeek!" April drops the phone in shock, turning around.

"April!" Tori throws the receiver in surprise and it lands...in the aquarium. The line is disconnected. "Not again!" She turns to Mikey. "Darn. Now I've dropped the phone in there, too. How about if we tell her you did it, Mikey?"

He barks twice. "But I sure hope April's alright...I'd better get going. I know right where the Upper East Village is. But I never saw any music box around here! Where am I supposed to find it? Do you know where it is, Mikey?" He barks twice again. "Help me look, okay?" He barks again and they start searching. Donnie jumps to the cart and goes all the way to the right as Tori is distracted. He goes Ghost, jumps onto the star ornament, then the flying one. He could see a box in a hidden compartment on the ceiling. He performs the trick to make the flying ornament go faster. He goes to Ghost and then to the latch that opens the compartment. He opens it and the box falls onto the tree. He jumps to the flying ornament and slows it down before going to the star. Since Tori moved right past it, he makes the star play music, getting her attention. Mikey barks as Tori turns the star off. She sees the music box and turns around.

"This is it! The music box! Yippee!" She jumps up happily. She puts the box in her pocket and leaves the remote perched on the couch. "I'll leave the remote here. But don't you touch it, Mikey! If the TV comes on, you'll start barking. I'd hate to find you flattened underneath that wall when I came home..." She runs to the door, Mikey barking at her leaving. She turns around and he runs up to her, sitting down as he wags his tail.

"Okay, I'm leaving now, Mikey. I have to go help April! She's like a sister to me, you know! You be good while I'm away! And no barking!" She orders. He barks twice as if promising that he won't. Tori opens the door and leaves the apartment. Mikey lays down in front of the couch.

Still no peace for the little lady...and the redhead, April, is facing a new crisis as right now as well. Meanwhile, he's in a bit of a pickle of his own. With the receiver at the bottom of the fish tank...he finds himself still trapped in this apartment. Too bad he can't just curl up and go to sleep with his tail wagging, too...because there is something he must do. The question is, how goes he go about getting out of here...?


	3. Chapter 3

**Angel: A chapter and a half to go, and then I'm done with this! And then after that is the one-shot story :D I'll probably update this every day since someone's already asking me when I'll release the one-shot story.**

 _8:04 pm_

Once again, April is in danger. And he thinks she knows it, too. He sincerely doubts she'll be coming back to this apartment tonight.

Him and her are connected to each other somehow. She's his only lead, and he can't lose her. He has to get to her, and fast. He performs a trick on the star ornament, causing it to play the melody. Mikey stands to his feet and barks at it, causing the woman next door to punch the wall.

"I'll knock this wall down!" She declares angrily. The phone in her apartment rings shortly afterwards. "If you keep that racket up...I'll bring this whole dilapidated building down on you!" She leaves to answer the phone.

"Did you hear what I just heard?" Donnie asks Mikey in his head.

"You mean the lady next door's angry howl?" Mikey wonders.

"No, forget that. It was the sound of a telephone ringing! Coming from the apartment next door," Donnie smiles at the dog.

"Oh, I get it! You're thinking about borrowing her telephone, aren't you, dude! But how are you gonna do that without breaking the wall down?" Mikey tilts his head.

"Well, the lady next door is kindly offering to do it for us," Donnie points out.

"Yeah, but she's mostly hoping to crush me underneath it...I can't go out like that!" Mikey whimpers.

"Relax. I know what I'm doing," Donnie assures. His plan was to create more noise to get the attention of Miss Campbell. He enters the ghost world, jumping to the donut cart, and then the TV remote that Tori left behind. He presses trick and the TV turns on. Mikey barks louder than before. Miss Campbell comes back, angry. She's holding a green bottle.

"I'll pound this wall open!" She threatens, hitting the wall with the bottle. Several things break in the process, and Mikey is thrown across the room. Miss Campbell places down the bottle on a table near the wall as she hears nothing. "I told you, didn't I? I told you I would knock the wall down on you!" She clinks her glass in the air, stomping away.

Mikey lies down on his back. "So this is what it feels like to have a wall knocked down on you..." He murmurs in agony.

"It's more like she knocked you out through the wall, really..." Donnie points out, rubbing his chin.

"I'm still alive, right?" Mikey asks, opening an eye.

Donnie nods as he doesn't notice anything wrong with him. "You are..." He looks at the broken items. "But the TV and the star ornament aren't."

Mikey whimpers in shame. "I'll never bark again, not as long as I live!"

"But, wait a minute..." Donnie notices something. "It looks like all that commotion wasn't for naught."

"Huh?" Mikey opens his eyes in confusion. Donnie eyes the bottle in Miss Campbell's apartment, as she's created a path for Donnie.

"Your barking made her create a path for me."

"It did?" Mikey doesn't really notice it. "But the wall's still standing, just like before, dude..."

"But there are paths only the dead can see," Donnie explains, ruffling his head.

"Oh, those kinds of paths!" Mikey exclaims in understanding. Donnie steps into the ghost world, jumping to the cart, the ornament on the floor, the cabinet door, the fallen lamp, and the fallen picture frame to get to the bottle on the other side. Mikey, who is now up, runs over to the wall, barking twice.

"So you're leaving, huh?" He wonders.

"I guess so," Donnie smiles a little, though he didn't want to. Mikey was a fun little doggie.

"You're gonna go save April and Miss Tori?" Mikey asks hopefully. Donnie doesn't answer at first, as he's just a ghost. And he had other priorities.

"I have to follow my own mystery first and foremost. That means everything to me," he finally states.

"But you WILL save them, right?" Mikey gives him puppy eyes and Donnie sighs a little.

"If it helps me along my way, then yes," he answers.

"I don't have any powers of the dead. I'm not even dead, actually. But I'm gonna find a way to help Miss Tori too!" Mikey chirps.

"We create our own paths," Donnie smiles at him. "Right, Mikey?"

"That's right, dude!" Mikey exclaims, wagging his tail.

"Okay, I'm leaving now. Guess this is our second goodbye," Donnie jokes.

"It is, isn't it?" Mikey pouts. "By the way...can I call you master or Donnie?"

"You can call me Donnie," Donnie smiles a little. "If we ever meet again, then call me Donnie."

"Got it! You know what, Donnie? I'm gonna create my own path, just like you said!" And with that, Mikey runs up to the door, jumping up and hitting it. Donnie just watches in amusement as he continues to try and break the door. Meanwhile, he was going to focus his efforts on reaching the phone, so he can go back to the junkyard and save April.

"Tonight is that holiest of all nights—my deadline," Miss Campbell murmurs to herself. "All I need to get some inspiration from the Muses is this bottle and some cheese. Here is to the boorish people next door!" She taps her wine glass in the air. Sneezing can be heard from the right side of the room. Miss Campbell turns to someone. "Are you alright, my darling angel? Have you taken your medicine like a good girl?" As he's in the wine bottle, it looks like Donnie was stuck on the left side of the room.

"Well, here I am in yet another strange room..." There's a bookshelf right next to him in the luxury apartment, with fancy furnishings. But Donnie could sense that something wasn't right here. "What's with the oddly tense air of this place, anyway...? Now where is that little treasure I'm looking for?"

On the right side of the room, Miss Campbell is looking down at someone curled up in a blanket. Right near the bed are two shelves, one of which holds a phone.

"There it is. The telephone." _Now if I can just borrow it..._

Miss Campbell gets up from her seat in front of the typewriter, walking to the left to look for the dictionary. Hey...if he could get her attention on the dictionary, she could move and that would let him be able to reach the phone!

He goes into the ghost world and travels up to a compartment in the roof. A rat is sitting on top of it, hidden in the plumbing pipes. He performs a trick so that the compartment opens, the rat falling down next to a plastic drinking bird. Donnie returns to ghost, moving to the drinking bird. He sees that he can move it, and judging by the trajectory, the rat would land on the bookshelf. He performs the trick, the rat landing on the bookshelf, two shelves above the dictionary. Donnie goes to the ghost world, traveling to the pinwheel next to the bed.

"Oh, Mr. Prime Minister, you mustn't! I'm a married woman...! And I'm a married man...but we cannot resist this any longer! I'm ready to abdicate it all for you! Even if it means my ultimate ruination!" Miss Campbell recites lines from her draft before thinking to herself. "Hmm...ruination. Is that even a word? And that 'abdicate' just doesn't sound right...this is going to nag at me until I'm sure," she keeps looking at the titles of the books, thankfully not noticing the rat. Donnie performs the trick, knocking the mouse to the ground and scaring Miss Campbell. He quickly goes to the ghost world and travels to the dictionary.

Miss Campbell bends down to look for the rat, seeing the dictionary. "Oh! There it is!" She picks it up and opens it up. "But it's strange...I know I left this dictionary on the shelf. It's as if some little angel were playing naughty tricks on me."

The person on the bed shrinks back into her blanket, an ice pack on her hair. "Perhaps...my darling angel...?" She walks back to her desk, which is placed several feet away from the bed. She places the book on a table next to her and sits down. Donnie can see the phone in his sights now.

"Mama."

Miss Campbell stands up and walks over, Donnie traveling to the lamp. The little girl starts coughing. She has sandy hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue dress and a pink ribbon on her hair.

"What is it, my darling angel?"

"Ow...my head hurts, Mama," the little girl whines.

"You poor dear, and no wonder, with a fever of 102! Here is to a night of fever, hotter than the love of my prime minister!" She taps the air with the glass again.

"It's almost time to go out for my lesson...can I take the night off?" The little girl asks nasally.

"Yes, I suppose that would be best...but wait a minute! I bet you're happy to have an excuse to get out of it, aren't you?" Miss Campbell accuses, since the girl didn't really like going to her lessons.

"Not especially. If I ever don't want to go, I just don't go, and pretend I did. I go play with Tori next door or something. We have tea parties," she replies, wiping her nose.

"Here is to the blunt honesty of my darling angel!" She tips the air again.

"Hey, today is Papa's birthday," the little girl starts.

"Oh, is it?" Miss Campbell looks uninterested at that fact.

"Aren't we going to celebrate together?" The little girl looks at her expectantly.

Miss Campbell says nothing for a minute, indicating that she and her husband are having a fight. "Let's not talk about your father, dear. Now Mama has to go back to work. I have a deadline tonight, after all!" She walks back to her desk, but the little girl sits up.

"Mama, wait!" Miss Campbell stops in her tracks. "I have just one thing to say. Don't try and put me in the middle of you two, okay?"

Miss Campbell turns to her. "Whatever could you be talking about?"

"I know what's going on, you know. You write novels, and Papa wants you to stop. But it was very selfish of you to take me and leave the house. I want to go home," the little girl demands.

"...Now, now. It's time for good little girls to go to sleep. Especially sick little girls!"

The little girl pauses. "I hate you, Mama!" She hides herself in her blanket. Miss Campbell disregards it, tapping the air again. Donnie performs a trick on the lamp, making it go out.

"Eek! What is going on?!" Miss Campbell demands before slamming her fist on the desk. "Oh! I made a typo!" She takes the paper, giving Donnie the opportunity to travel to it. She crumples it up and throws it across the room. When it hits the trash can, the paper ball is lifted in the air slightly, the trash can below it. Donnie goes ghost and travels to the phone just in time before the paper could land in the trash.

And wouldn't you know it, someone calls at the very moment Donnie reaches the telephone. The little girl sits up in attention as Miss Campbell walks to the phone. She answers to a man with black hair in a suit, wearing sunglasses. "Hello? Is that you?"

"How many times are you going to make me tell you?" Miss Campbell demands. "Tonight is that holiest of all nights—my deadline."

"Please. I'm begging you. Change your mind and come home to me!" The man begs.

"I think you're the one who needs to change his mind," Miss Campbell retorts, holding her head up high.

"Please, put yourself in my position. You can write your novel just as well from home," he pleads.

"Until you change your mind, your daughter and I won't be coming home!" She yells at him. "Even if that means FOREVER!" Her eyes look crazy at that statement. He hangs his head and slides down into his chair.

"Let me talk to Chloe, then, at least," he murmurs sadly.

"You can't talk to her. She's sick with a fever right now, and I won't have you giving her nightmares!"

"I wanna talk to Papa!" Chloe cries out.

"Now, I don't want to hear your voice anymore tonight," she says angrily.

"Please...wait a minute..." He begs, but she won't have it.

"Don't try to call again. I won't answer. I REFUSE to answer!" She slams the receiver down and Donnie has gained the number for Miss Campbell's apartment and for the man's office. Miss Campbell tips the air as Chloe hides in her blanket angrily. He could go to the office, if he wanted, but he felt like he wasn't going to be able to do much there at the moment. Besides, he needs to go to the junkyard for April. He travels to the junkyard using the telephone line.

Not much time has passed since he was here last time. But the situation has changed...

Two detectives are talking: a woman and a man. The woman has purple hair and glasses while the man is actually a tall mutant turtle, and bigger too. A doctor is looking over Donnie's body, which hadn't moved, but he's an alien brain...?

Looks like they're examining his body. He wonders who they are. And besides them, a certain duo wriggles and bounces happily. The stop sign and lamp are moving back and forth, yet no one notices. He wonders who they really are, too. Everything turns into the Ghost World.

"Welcome back," The lamp post, or Ryan, greets. "You weren't gone very long."

"What's going on?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"The police are here to start the criminal investigation after they heard the hitman's death," Lia explains to him, "You know, in your...murder."

Donnie wonders why she was so melancholy when she said that word. _My murder case, eh?_

"Where is April?" He questions, remembering why he was there in the first place. "Is she okay?"

"So you found out her name already, did you? We're impressed," Ryan comments, and Donnie also wonders why Leo sounded so familiar with this April. He said it as if he already knows her.

 _April was approached by a monkey mutant as she was on the phone with Tori. The pigeon on his head flew to his finger. "Excuse me."_

 _"Eeeeek!" April dropped the phone, turning around._

 _"April!" Tori, due to the sudden shout, dropped the phone in the fish tank, destroying it._

"It sounded like she was in some kind of immediate danger," Donnie says in worry. _Not to mention the fact a hitman is after her again..._

"Well, you don't have to worry about that kind of thing," Lia informs him. "She was just taken into custody a few minutes ago."

Donnie's eyes widen. "Custody...? You mean she was arrested?! But why? She was with that monkey mutant when I saw her!"

"We don't know. We're just a desk lamp and stop sign," Ryan states, meaning they probably didn't hear that exchange.

 _Hmm. I'd better see what I can find out._

He goes back in time in motion, goes to the Ghost World, and travels a little bit further to the broken car door so he can listen on in with the detectives and alien doctor. "Quite a thing, huh, this case?" The larger turtle asks his partner, staring at the turtle in mourning.

"Yeah. One of our own...a murderer? And to Donnie...? Heads will roll over this," The woman shakes her head, not wanting to believe it. By their implications, they knew Donnie as well. Was he friends with them?

"And she's a rookie, too. I heard she was carrying out some crazy investigation?" The larger turtle wonders.

"Rookies aren't given crazy assignments," The woman pushes up her glasses, "Not like that. Not even rookies like April."

"Yeah, but I heard she was 'special.' She's got strong ties to Inspector Jones of the Special Investigation Unit. Hmph. I plan on moving up the ladder on my own merits, myself," The turtle brags.

"Well, we detectives shouldn't be standing around gossiping. Never know who might be listening," The woman warns him.

"Like me," Donnie states knowingly.

"Like me," The alien doctor calls out. Donnie decides to listen in more to find out about himself regarding his murder. "Think we can safely assume the cause of death was...the bullet he took to the chest," The alien already sounded annoying and he stands up. "Bring me a stretcher! I'll look into the rest back at the lab because I'm awesome!"

"Would you mind waiting here for a bit, doctor?" The woman asks, clearly annoyed by his voice. "Inspector Jones, head of the Special Investigation Unit, is on his way now."

"Special Investigation Unit? What do they want with a case like this?"

"I don't know, but Jones is our top investigator...we don't want to get him all bent out of shape, or there'll be hell to pay. And YOU can take the blame for it if you question him," She points to his chest.

"Hmph. Don't see what that has to do with me," The doctor grumbles, going back to Donnie's body.

"I don't really get what Jones wants to come for, either," The turtle grunts. "It's probably just a big mark for him, but it makes things tougher on us."

"Hey, what you say behind his back. Never know who might be listening," The woman scolds, hands on her hips.

"Like me," Donnie repeats, crossing his arms.

"Like me, ya dolts," The doctor mutters. Suddenly, a bike bell rings, meaning the inspector has arrived.

The Casey Jones pulls up on his bike, coming to a stop near the crossing gate. He's wearing a long black jacket with a white scarf that's twice his arm length, black shirt, and black pants. His hair is black and he puts on a grin as he throws his hat off and twirls it onto his bike. "Ah, the tension of a crime scene. Now this, Casey Jones likes. Nothing like it!" He walks over to the stairs and dances down them, walking up to the two detectives. The turtle sees him and salutes. The woman sees Casey and rolls her eyes.

"Evening, guys. How's it lookin'?" He smirks at them.

"Inspector Jones! Thank you for coming!" The turtle exclaims and Donnie wonders what his deal is. "Allow me to report, sir!"

"Fine, fine. You just hold that thought. Casey Jones is gonna make a little phone call first," Casey takes the phone, spins it in his hand, and puts it to his ear.

 _So this is the head of the Special Investigation Unit? He seems, uh...unique._ Donnie smiles in amusement, new info being added. He enters the Ghost World and travels to the phone to listen in. A pigeon mutant is talking to him. He's wearing pants and his eyes are red with yellow irises. He looks like the pigeon Donnie saw from the monkey mutant, but bigger.

"Deal me the deal. How's it goin' over there, man?"

"Going? How is it going, you ask? You'd like to know how it's going? I would say it's going well enough, about fair to average, if I had to say. Yes, it's going all right!" The pigeon mutant lets out a coo.

Casey doesn't look like he recognizes the voice. "Not the person I was hoping to talk to there, buddy. Do me a favor and put that nice lady on the phone, now, would ya? That's a good bird."

"If it has anything to do with this park, I'm the one to talk to. I'm the guardian of this park! Yes!" He chirps, using the phone call to promote his cause. A girl with black and blonde hair approaches the phone, snatching it from him. She's wearing a beret, a silver top that hugs her waist, black pants, and she's wearing makeup. But Donnie recognizes her from that photo from the Shredder's room. What's she doing with the police?

"Ugh, sorry about that, Inspector. I just got here," She glares at the mutant, telling him silently to go away.

"Well, glad to hear you made it. That other guy was wack," Casey comments. "Started talking about being 'guardian of the park' or some crap."

"Yes, him," She lets out a sigh. "Sorry about that.

"Well, start doing your 'staking out' thing, girl. And buzz Casey Jones if anything comes up," Casey informs her, Karai groaning at the nickname.

"Yes, sir. You're lucky I love my job."

Casey hangs up with her, and Donnie now has the number to the park. The Inspector turns to the officer turtle, who salutes again.

"Now, then, sir! If I may make my report, sir-"

"Doc! Yo!" Casey calls out and the alien doctor stands up, turning around.

"Talking to me?" He asks sarcastically.

"Casey Jones needs you to handle this case with your finest care and attention. Would you do that for me, Doc?" Casey asks with a smug smile.

"I don't need you tell me how to do my job, bucko!" The doctor exclaims, tending to the murder victim once more.

"Anyway," Casey rolls his eyes, "I'd like to see the suspect now."

The turtle abruptly puts down his arm. "April, sir? I asked her to let herself be taken into custody voluntarily, sir!"

The woman rolls her eyes at him being a kiss-up.

"She's being detained in the junkyard superintendent's office right now," The woman pushes up her glasses.

"Super's office, eh? That's...super," The two detectives cringe at his joke, "So where's that, Irma and Slash?"

"Just beyond where you parked your bike, Inspector." Past Casey's bike is the crane to the wrecking ball, which is guarded by a police car and van. Past those two vehicles is a metal door leading to the office of the superintendent.

"Casey Jones should interview the suspect, then. Nothing like it!" He winks at them, "Carry on, guys."

The turtle salutes once more. "Good luck, sir!"

Casey dances up the stairs, the turtle giving a sigh of relief now that he's gone. Donnie goes into Ghost World and travels back to the car door to listen in.

"Whew. That Inspector Jones...he sure has a strange 'air' about him..." Slash mutters.

"You can say that again. And I've never seen anybody use stairs the way he does..." Irma stares at the wooden structure. "I hear he's dancing his way up the stairs to promotion that same air way."

"And I hear April is his personal favorite..." The turtle looks up at the first floor. "What's the deal between those two?"

"Hey, how should I know?"

"I can't believe Casey's treating old Don this way. Does he even care?" Slash grits his teeth, Irma patting his shoulder.

"You know him. He does care...deep down...he just won't admit it."

Irma and Slash close their eyes as they mourn for their friend.

Donnie wonders what that means. Not only does he supposedly know Irma and Slash, but also the Inspector of the Special Investigation Unit? Was he an informant for them or did he know them through April?

The doctor suddenly pulls out something from the body: A gun. "Think we can pretty safely assume this was the murder weapon." He places it down on a tray.

"Oh no...that pistol..." Slash visibly pales, Irma's mouth dropping in shock.

"Yup. Same model as the pistols you detectives carry around," The alien doctor confirms.

"You don't think...you don't think it's April's, do you...?" Slash gulps, as this is more evidence planted AGAINST April.

"This is not good. If it is hers, it's all over," Irma shakes her head.

 _So April is a detective, and the murder weapon might be her pistol...What could it all mean?_

Donnie decides to examine the gun, for anything that might implicate that it's April's, like something with a color or animal imprinted or it, or her name. He presses trick.

"So this is the weapon that took my life...A 'pistol,' eh? My memory seems to be hazy on pistols...But I have seen them before, that's for sure. Let's see. This part right here is-"

A gunshot suddenly goes off, shocking the three around it.

"FOOL! If you wanna fire this thing, aim it in your own direction!" The doctor shouts at him angrily.

"I-I didn't fire it! I'm the victim here!" Slash exclaims in protest. "This is the act of somebody who's jealous of my abilities as a detective!"

Donnie rolls his eyes at that.

"Well, what are you glaring at me for? I'm the opposite of jealous of you," Irma retorts.

 _Guess that proves it's a real gun..._

Just then, there's another gunshot not too far away. "Wh-What was that?" Irma stammers nervously.

"Is that what I think it was?" Slash asks in worry.

"The sound of a gun," The alien doctor confirms, meaning another death. The phone rings and they all jump up in surprise. How many loud noises were there around here? Since Irma's the closest, she picks up the phone.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. Every time that phone rings, it's bad news," Donnie says in worry to his friends.

"It's like that old riddle...'Which came first, the ringing of the phone, or the crime case?' "

"No, just no," The stop sign deadpans.

"Um, if you say so," Donnie comments awkwardly, going back to the Ghost World and traveling back to the phone.

"Ah, there you are," Casey says, and Donnie could see that the window behind Casey is broken. "Do me a favor and have the doc come to the super's office, would you?"

"Uh, he seems pretty busy at the moment, sir," Irma glances at the doctor.

"Which one are you again?" Casey asks teasingly. "Purple or dark green?"

"Purple, you know my name already," Irma rolls her eyes.

"Listen, purple. Get the good doc over this instant...OR I'LL SEE TO IT YOU NEVER WEAR PURPLE AGAIN!"

"Alright, fine!" Irma yells into the phone. "I'll send him right up! Cranky pants..." She hangs up and Donnie gets the number for the superintendent's office. Irma whistles with her fingers, getting the doctor's attention. "Doc, you're needed at the superintendent's office immediately!"

The doctor groans, "If I must." He walks past them to the stairs. Donnie immediately uses the phone to go to the phone book and presses Super's Office, because that's where April is!

Yet another gunshot rings out in the lonely junkyard on the edge of town. The sound gives him the feeling a new death will be waiting on the other side of the line...Apparently, he's not the only one the Reaper's interested in tonight. But as long as there's anything he can do about it, he doesn't plan on letting anybody else die. He just couldn't let that happen.


	4. Chapter 4

_8:23 PM_

Changing a person's fate is no easy task...

Especially when their fate is 'death.' The scene at the other end of the line is pretty much what he expected. All except for one thing...

When Donnie shows up in the superintendent's office...it's too late for April. She's already been killed as Donnie can see a hole on her stomach, probably where the gunshot hit her. Inspector Jones is shaking her still warm body.

"Nooo! Apriiiiil! Hang in there!"

The superintendent that had startled April on the phone walks up to the two. "It looks like some piece of trash shot her from the top of the pile of garbage outside," He deduces, "Here, let me take a look at her. Maybe there's something I-"

"Sorry, can't allow that, Pigeon Monkey," Inspector Jones denies. "Casey Jones investigates, and you 'superintend.' You have your job, and Casey Jones has his. Let's leave each to his own profession, yo."

The monkey mutant pushes up his glasses and shakes his head. "Really? Well, here's what I think. How much of a 'pro,' " He uses quotation marks at that last word, "can you be if you let her get shot right in front of you?"

"I-!" Inspector Jones growls at that, since he just lost his friend and pupil. Donnie had to admit that Pigeon Monkey was right. Casey looks like he agrees with him.

"Anyway, have it your way. I shall stay out of your hair."

New info gets added to Donnie's journal and Pigeon Monkey walks over to another door across the room. His pigeon hands him the key and it lands in his hand. He unlocks the door and opens it before it closes behind him. The mutant then slides down the railing of the stairs in front of him. Then the alien doctor shows up and Inspector Jones looks up sharply.

"Doc, what took you so long?! Quit draggin' your feet!" Casey shouts at him.

"Who are you to shout at me?!" The alien doctor retorts back. "Now, let me have a look at the victim."

Inspector Jones swallows as he sinks in the word victim.

 _I haven't even looked yet, but I can already tell you she's dead. Her second death of the night, actually..._

He travels to the Ghost World and moves past a lamp, kettle, and light to get to April. Like last time, there's a bright light and then he's inside April's mind. Like with her first death, her consciousness is a blue flame with no signs of talking.

 _Unconscious this time as well, eh?_ Donnie rubs his chin.

"Where...am I...?" He hears and he turns his attention back on her.

 _She's coming to?_

"What happened to me?"

Donnie doesn't answer, because this is the second time this has happened, and he didn't know how to handle it. Sure, with Mikey, he was surprised, but now...

"Excuse me...Are you ignoring me?"

"Oh!" Donnie exclaims in surprise, as he didn't think she was speaking to him. "Uh, sorry...I'm still not used to talking with dead people, you see."

" 'Dead?' So I'm dead, huh..." She sounds so sad about it, but Donnie hoped she'd be grateful once he saved her...again. "...Hmm. Try as I might, I can't seem to remember who I am."

 _She's starting to remind me of me._

"WHO AM I?!" She demands and Donnie remembers her name.

"Everybody seems to call you 'April,' if that's any help," Donnie smiles nervously, but it's not like she could do anything without arms or legs.

"April, huh? Pretty cute name," If she could smirk, she would.

"And apparently, you're a detective, too," Donnie grins.

"Detective? You mean that super-cool kind of cop that solves crimes and upholds justice?" She asks excitedly. She must really love that job.

"Sounds like a pretty subjective description, but yes, that kind of detective," He comments, shrugging.

"...Hey, wait a minute..." She murmurs in thought and Donnie perks up.

"Are you starting to remember something?!" He exclaims in shock, as he wasn't used to that either.

"There's no time to lose!" Her appearance then changes...to Inspector Jones. Donnie had to hold in a laugh. "Something really unusual is going down in this city tonight!"

 _Yeah, I certainly won't argue with the 'really unusual' part._ "T-That's not your face, you know. Take another look, you're the dead one," He can't help but laugh a little. For someone who just got her memories back, she's not that observant, huh?

"Oh...!" April chuckles sheepishly, "Right, of course. It'd be pretty heinous if I looked like this, I guess, wouldn't it?"

 _I don't know if heinous is the right word._

She then changes into the redhead that Donnie supposedly used to know: April O'Neil! "There! Now THIS is more like it!"

 _"Something really unusual is going on in this city tonight..."_ _Could it have anything to do with my death, I wonder?_

"Tell me..." Donnie starts off. "What IS going on in this city tonight?"

"Don't ask me," She answers immediately.

"Huh?" He looks confused at her tone.

"I can't remember a thing...I think it's probably 'cause I'm dead. Grrr! Everything is so confusing! Can't you do something?!"

 _Hey! You're asking the wrong guy! Or turtle, actually._ "But I've got some things to ask YOU about. I'm looking for the answers to the questions, 'Who am I?' and 'Why was I killed?' Do you know anything that might help me? The only thing I know right now is that my name is Donnie, and I owned a dog with you and some other people."

"Your name is Donnie, huh?" She murmurs as she thinks about it for a minute.

"I think so. It rings some kind of bell, anyway. I think I was killed tonight, while I was meeting with you," He explains, pointing at her. "And you're the one who called me Donnie...so you must at least know me...I think."

"I was meeting with you...?" She asks in confusion.

"Yes, in the junkyard outside," Donnie elaborates. He was hoping to jog her memory about him so she could answer who did it. It certainly wasn't the hitman, because he didn't seem like he did and besides, after the new present, Donnie was still dead.

He shows April the footage of her trying to wake him up and her crying. April stares at it. "Yeah...it's coming back to me...I remember now! Donnie...it's really you! It really is you!" She hugs him and he looks surprised before smiling. They must've been really close.

"I knew it!" He jumps up in the air, grinning happily. Finally he could get some answers. "I knew you were the lead I needed!"

"But...I'm so sorry. I don't think I can help you," She frowns a little.

"W-Why not?" He stammers.

"Because I don't know who shot you."

"Wh-What do you mean?! I thought you said you remembered me?" He exclaims in urgency.

"No, I said I remembered something," She holds up a finger. "I remembered the fact that I don't know who shot you."

"No way!" He yells in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. He was glad she remembered him, but she doesn't know who killed him? She touched his body, for crying out loud and cried over him! Wasn't that the sense that she saw what happened?

"So...I died, huh?" She frowns at the thought that she wasn't alive anymore.

"Yes, apparently. I'm...so sorry," He places a hand on her shoulder.

"So...you're dead too," She looks like she's about to cry. "I'm sorry too! I could've prevented it if I knew who shot you!"

"April...it's okay," He assures her. "I may be dead, but...I can still talk to you. And that's all that matters."

She smiles softly at his words, but she still looks sad. "How could this have happened? First my friends die and then you...And after I just passed my test finally this year? My exciting career of catching the bad guys had just begun...And now look at me! Why did I have to go and die, in an old junkyard like this?!"

 _Poor kid. The shock is setting in..._ Donnie felt bad for her, he really did. Death was not easy to accept...but they were still friends, and she deserved to know the truth.

And so he told her everything so far that happened tonight. About ghost tricks, possessing and manipulating objects...and about going back four minutes before a person's death. "This actually isn't the first time you died tonight, you know. You were already shot and killed once before tonight."

"And...you saved me...?" She asks in wonder.

"That's right. You don't remember?" He pulls up the footage of her being shot earlier that night. The pop rings in his ears as she fell to the floor...and disappeared onto where he started off when this all began. April watches it closely, eyes in slight horror before something enters her mind.

"Hmm. Yes, I think I do remember something like that happening...vaguely. Yes, I did get shot! By a man dressed all in black."

 _I guess this means that even if a death is erased, the memory of it remains._

"So I died twice already tonight..." She whispers, and she believed him as crazy as it sounds. After all, if it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have been alive up until this point.

 _Wish I knew what to say to her...Guess I'll just have to wait until she recovers a little._ What could he say?

"I bet that's some kind of record, don't you think?"

He looks at the girl in surprise as she's smiling slightly. "Uh, yeah, you're probably right." _Looks like she's pretty much recovered, then..._

"So you don't know who shot me, huh?" He asks with a small sigh.

"Nope...I wish I did so I can arrest the prick myself," She frowns as she remembers seeing his corpse. "I...I'm so sorry, Donnie. This is my fault that you're dead..."

"Hey, hey," He says in a soothing voice. "It's okay, April. I...I'm not mad at you for not being able to save me."

"You're not?" She sniffles and his heart panged a little at hearing her trying to compose herself.

"No...I'm grateful. I wouldn't have these powers if I was alive right now," He winks with a weak smile and she laughs a little. "So do you suppose we were destined to see each other again tonight?"

"No way. I don't think it was an accident," She murmurs, looking up at her environment. "Why in the world would I be way out here in the middle of nowhere for no reason? I was asked to come here tonight."

"Asked to come...?" Donnie asks in confusion. "By who?"

"Donnie..." She laughs awkwardly, "Don't you know where this is going?"

"...You're kidding," He says in realization. "Y-You mean...?"

"Yes...by you," She rubs her neck sheepishly. But why would he do that? And how did that result in his death?

"I asked you to come here? But why?!" He demands in shock.

"That's what I want to ask you," She points out. "Why did you ask me to come here tonight? Way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"M-Maybe for a date?" He asks casually and she blushes, looking away.

"I-I don't know," She mumbles, playing with her hair. She looks cute like that...wait, no!

"You gotta be kidding me!" He rubs the top of his head, perplexed as he paces. _It goes without saying that I don't remember!_

"Everything is so confusing!" April exclaims, holding her hair. "Can't you do something?!"

"Nnngh," He sweats nervously at her sudden outburst. What exactly could he do, he's a ghost for crying out loud. He can only access states of mind when they've recently been deceased, he can't access memories. Anything else is beyond his control. But there is something he can still do. "April. I'm not saying you owe me or anything, but I have a favor."

"What is it?" She asks curiously.

"In the next four minutes, you'll probably come back to life," He cringes at the word probably, but April makes no indication that she was offended by that. She full heartedly believed that he'd save her. He's done it before. "When you do, do you think you could try to find out about me? Before tomorrow morning? Who I am, and why I was killed?"

She says nothing. Donnie's her best friend, and she's grateful that she's even talking to him, but...to go into a mystery just like that? She doesn't want to disappoint him, but it's not like she can bring him back to life...

"I'm really sorry, but...I can't make any promises."

"Why not?" His mouth opens in shock. It wasn't a no, but it wasn't a yes.

"I don't remember very clearly right now..." She looks away. "But I think I was investigating a case tonight. A case that is very, very important to me. So even if I come back to life..." She bites her lip. "I don't think I'll have time to find out anything about you..."

He stays silent, pondering over her words. She clearly had a life...to put that kind of pressure on her...

"I know that's a terrible thing to say to my best friend who's already saved my life...I'm really, really sorry," She sniffles and he hangs his head.

"I...see...that's too bad..." At least she didn't lie to him and get his hopes up. She was honest, and that was all he could ask from her. Even if that means...he'll lose his memories forever...

"But I'm afraid I'm still going to ask you..." She pauses as she wonders if she should even ask.

"Ask me what?"

"Ask you to save me," She whispers quietly. She can't die. Not tonight. Not like this... "Even though I probably won't be able to help you..."

He just stares at her. "I know it's selfish of me..." A tear runs down her cheek. "I really apologize. But...I just can't die. Not yet. Not like this. I'm investigating something important tonight. I think maybe that might be the reason I was killed. But I still want to solve the case, in spite of all that!" She looks determined, clenching a fist. "I promised them...that I'd do this. Am I out of line?" She knew she was risking a lot by asking, but...this is the most important thing in her life. And Donnie might hate her for it, but...she needed to do it. She needs to be there...

Donnie says nothing as he looks at her. April...selfish? How could he think of her like that? She wants to live. Anyone who died would want that...even if it can't happen for him, he doesn't want to see anyone die tonight...not anyone that didn't deserve to die, that is. Any killers weren't an exception for him. But for the others...they still have lives to live, families who love them, and friends who are there for them. And her offering her existence like it was something that would make him happy if she died?

"Didn't I tell you a minute ago you don't owe me?"

"Huh?" She looks up at him in confusion to see him smiling.

"I'm certainly not gonna treat your life like some kind of bargaining chip. I'll save you, April. I'd do it even if you didn't ask. What you do after that is up to you."

April slowly smiles, happy. "Thank you...!"

"So, you ready to go back? Back to four minutes before you got shot?" He asks with a smile, offering his hand. She glances at it before she reaches out slowly, touching his hand. Her eyes widen at the fact that she can even touch him. Donnie wasn't too surprised, anything can happen in the mind.

"I'm ready..." She nods slowly and so he rewinds time to go back to when April had gotten shot...the second time.

April's second death...he's heading back in time now to rewrite her fate. Faced with those circumstances, she could've just lied and promised to help him. But she didn't. That's when Donnie knew that he could trust her whole heartedly.

 _8:18 PM Maint Building—Super's Office. 4 minutes before death._

When it starts, he sees April writing in a yellow notebook in the super's office. She puts down the phone, frowning to herself. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

Suddenly, one of the officers can be seen outside the door, saluting. He has dark brown hair and brown eyes, and is also overweight. But his light blue shirt and dark blue pants seem to fit him. "Yes sir!" He had just gotten an order to watch over the girl so that she doesn't escape. April hears the doorknob and hastily hides the notebook away behind a shelf that was nearby. She gives an innocent look as the police officer comes in, standing right in front of the notebook behind her. "Detective! Is everything okay?"

She starts sweating, wondering just what exactly he saw. She needed to distract him so that he doesn't suspect anything. "Oh...! Uh...I was...hungry! So I was trying to get something delivered...!"

"What?!" He looks worried for some reason. "Don't do that!" She turns away, walking over to the bookshelf.

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

The officer picks up the receiver and starts to dial. "You should leave jobs like that to me! Is Murakami's alright?"

She turns around as she wasn't expecting to actually call a place. "One order of pizza gyoza."

"Oh, uh, that's okay!" She chuckles nervously. "Ha ha! I'm not feeling very hungry anymore!" She finds it weird that he actually fell for that trick. Maybe he's just that gullible...she definitely believes that possibility.

He puts down the receiver, hanging up with Murakami. She turns back around, hoping to get out of here so she can clear this up. "I would like to go back to the station for a minute, though."

"You would? Oh, uh," He clears his throat, putting on a deep voice. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." He steps closer to her, saluting. "Inspector Jones is on his way! He'll be here any minute."

As soon as he says that, Inspector Jones comes into the room, doing his signature dance. April looks in shock to see him, but he just smiles. "Evening, patrolmaaan." The officer salutes hardly as if he's in the Army.

"Good evening, Inspector Jones, sir!"

"Nice work," Jones winks at him. "Now, do Casey Jones a favor and take a little patrol around outside, would ya, Timothy? Thaaat's a nice fellow."

"Yes, sir!" Officer Timothy walks past Casey and opens the door. He moves so that he can horizontally get out the door.

"Yo," Casey smirks at April. "How's it goin', Red?"

"Casey! What are you doing here...?" April asks in confusion and shock. "I thought the Special Investigation Unit had an important top-secret assignment tonight?"

"What does that matter at a time like this, when my Red's in crisis?" Donnie had to frown at that.

April rolls her eyes in amusement. "I appreciate that." She then frowns, starting to pace as she doesn't know what's going on. She turns around sharply to her friend and mentor. "Wait a minute...did you just say crisis? Don't tell me I'm being suspected...?! Suspected of shooting DONNIE?! I mean, I would never do that! You know me!"

"Never, April?"

"Well, uh..." Okay, maybe she bends the rules a little, but she still would never kill anyone. Especially not Donnie. "Before tonight, I mean. He asked me to meet him here. He said he had important information about the big case I'm working on. He's the one who contacted ME!"

"I see, I seeee...but it's funny, isn't it?" He gives a grin and she glares at him that he doesn't look concerned for Donnie at all. "I took a look at the list of cases your station is handling right now...and I didn't see you listed as involved on any big cases."

She starts sweating as he sits in a chair, leaning against it casually. "You know I don't suspect ya, Red. Just trying to clear things up. You're not the type to ever shoot anybody, much less Donnie. Hey, who knows you better than me?" He pauses at the name, closing his eyes. April wonders just what exactly is on his mind.

"You know...if anything ever happened to you..." He stands up, looking out the window. "I'd never be able to live with it. We already lost Splinter, Leo, Amy, Mona...and now Donnie. How many more of my friends are going to die because I wasn't there for them?"

April steps up to him slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Casey...I'm going to ask you a question."

He turns to her briefly, looking back out to the window. "Yeah, and what's that?"

"And I want you to answer honestly," She warns him. "Is it tonight? Is that when it's happening?"

He turns to her fully, scoffing. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Red."

"Don't do this, Casey. Stop putting up that wall and just tell me!"

He suddenly sees something from outside. "GET DOWN!" He reaches out to push her away, but it's too late as a bullet crashes through the window and hits April in the lower abdomen.

"It seems to me that 'Red' IS INDEED under suspicion," Donnie turns to April with a smug look after the video ends there.

"By Casey?! No! He's not like that! Or at least...he wasn't a few years ago..."

Donnie gives her a look as he wanted to get this out of the way once and for all. "Just for the record...did you shoot me?"

"No! I would never do anything like that! I never kill with my gun..." She denies sharply, but she's sweating. Truth be told, she hoped she wasn't the culprit. With all of the information that Donnie has given her, she didn't know who did it...and why.

 _Anyway, it looks like the hitman fired from outside. It'd be hard to prevent the bullet from coming in, though..._ "In any case, let's just give it a try. Our four-minute game!"

She chuckles at the encouragement. Donnie did wonder who Casey was talking about, though...but enough of that for now. It's time to save April's life again.

Since April was shot in the office on the ground, that's where he starts. But to pull this off was going to take a lot of waiting and precision. Right now, there's nothing nearby for him to do that's significant, so he uses the Ghost World to travel to the light below him from the second floor. He then goes to the staircase above the light, but there's nothing else he can reach right now. April hangs up and reads her notebook.

"Yes sir!" Officer Timothy salutes, April hiding the notebook like last time. The officer comes in and he listens briefly as he warned her not to make a phone call.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." April turns away like last time and he presses Ghost, moving over to the phone so that he can get the phone number. Anything could happen, so he needs every single phone number he can get.

"Hello, this is Murakami's. You want gyoza? We got gyoza!" The blind man smiles happily.

"One order of pizza gyoza, please."

"Would you like a drink with that?" Murakami asks politely.

"Oh, that's okay!" April calls out and two options pop up for Donnie to stay or for him to go to his new location. There's no reason for him to go there now, so he presses stay. Though, pizza gyoza does sound interesting.

 _Trace Complete._

He gets the phone number to Murakami's and the officer turns to April. "Donnie?" April speaks up for the first time as she's in awe of what he can do.

"Yes?"

"Get the guard's attention to that notebook. Something just tells me it's important," She tilts her head as she doesn't remember right now what was so important from it.

"Oh, sure. Let me just..." He travels from the phone to the lamp, which is turned away from the notebook. He sees that he can turn it around, so he does and the officer doesn't notice a thing as the lamp now faces the notebook. He goes to the bulb and does a trick to turn it on. Officer Timothy looks at it in surprise, wondering when that lamp was turned.

"That's April's notebook. Hey, wait a minute..." Now that he thinks about it, April did move away from the shelf. "I thought she was practicing a dance move when I came in...Nope. That was definitely suspicious! No question! I'd better report this!" He's lucky she can't hear him. Either that or she's not paying attention to him. "I wonder if I can make the call without her noticing?"

He turns his back to her and Donnie moves from the bulb all the way to the phone. Officer Timothy is actually talking to Irma right outside. "What's up?"

"I've been watching April just like you told me to...and I noticed something suspicious!" Donnie facepalms at that.

"You did? So Inspector Jones was right..."

"She was hiding her notebook when I came in!" Officer Timothy reports.

"Her notebook, huh?" Irma murmurs to herself.

"Yes, sir! I mean ma'am. In a very suspicious manner! And in a very conspicuous place!" Donnie thinks just how does he know that word.

"Anything else?" Irma asks in annoyance.

"Um, let's see...it's yellow, and it's a notebook!"

"Was that all?" Irma looks at her fingernails in boredom.

"Come to think of it, she was using the phone when I came in, too, and referring to her notebook," Officer Timothy taps his chin.

"Okay, someone will be over later. Don't let on you noticed anything," Irma warns him. Then they're in the Ghost World again.

"Hey, look at that! The phone line is glowing red!" April points to it and Donnie's eyes widen as he hasn't seen that before. "I bet it would work if we tried it now!"

"I bet you're right," He nods at her. "Irma is outside in the junkyard."

"And that's where the horrible hitman who's after me is too!" He presses to go there and together, they travel to the junkyard. April wobbles slightly as she's never traveled by phone line before. What she wasn't expecting was for a certain blue lamp and stop sign to speak right after they arrived.

"We've been waiting for you," Ryan says knowingly.

"Eek!" April hugs Donnie's arm. "Wh-What are you? A desk lamp...that sounds familiar...but like a father. And a stop sign?"

"Just call me Ryan," The desk lamp introduces himself. He makes no indication that he knows April, despite his tone before suggesting that he did know her.

"And my name is Lia," The stop sign replies.

"Daddy Ryan?" April murmurs to herself, the stop sign laughing as Ryan huffs.

 _You just have to get the 'Daddy' part in there somewhere, don't you?_

"We're souls. We can choose any appearance we like," Ryan argues as Lia stops laughing.

"Can't do anything about you sounding like an old father, though!"

"Which means you have no intention of showing us what you really look like, right?" Donnie smirks knowingly and they both stay quiet.

"...Now then! About that gunshot that took your life..." Ryan starts off, which gets April's attention.

"We heard it way up on the upper level, barely a few minutes from now." They go back to the real world, to show the top floor.

"The hitman is probably getting his rifle ready right now, but he's hiding from the police up there somewhere," Lia murmurs as Donnie sees two police cars and a couple of officers at the scene.

"Alright, I'm going in! I'll get him with those 'ghost trick' thingies!" April exclaims in excitement, Lia and Ryan turning to each other.

"We're very sorry, young lady...but you don't have those powers," Ryan tells her gently.

"What?! Why not?!" April demands.

"We don't know the reason. But only a special few have the powers of the dead..." Lia explains, as this is complicated enough.

"What?! Are you saying I'm not special? That's not fair!" April pouts at them. Donnie holds in a laugh.

"Anyway, we don't have much time," Ryan gets back to the subject. "Come on and hop in." They're back in the real world once more as Ryan moves his bulb closer. Irma hangs up the phone, with Casey doing his little dance.

"Carry on, fellaaaas."

Slash salutes to him once more.

 _Fate Changed._

He enters the Ghost World, using the same path he used from the phone to the lamp. He lands on the cot and exits the world, using a trick to close the cot. He's going to use the same path he used when he first saved April to get to the upper level. He travels through the same items, turning on the blender. He then turns on the fan and just like last time, the flag raises to the upper level, but this time, there's a spotlight that he can reach. Since there's nothing else for him to possess nearby, he has to wait until Jones passes by on his bike. Jones is getting up the steps and he mounts his bike. Donnie passes through the Ghost World to hitch a ride on the inspector's bike.

Casey rides all the way to the right, in front of the super's office door. Donnie can only travel to the car door on his left, so he does just that. A few seconds later, Kraang Subprime, the hitman that was responsible for Mikey's death, is here. He points the shotgun at the window. The police can't see him as they're standing in front of the car doors.

"I see the target. Time to go to work, because I'm awesome. I'll be head of the hitman division by next month now for sure."

"There he is! The horrible hitman!" April exclaims in rage.

 _I think his name is actually Kraang, but that doesn't matter now._ "We have to stop him from shooting...fast!"

 _New info has been added._

He opens the car door and travels to the spotlight, turning it on. Surprised, Kraang Subprime leaves before the police can see him.

"There. We put a stop to that shot at least," Donnie shows off his gap.

"We did it!" April cheers with a happy smile. "So I'm safe now, right?"

"Well, that changed your fate a little, but it didn't avert it completely," Donnie explains, "We're not done yet. That hitman is a professional. And he really, really wants to be head of the division, apparently." _I doubt blocking a shot here and there is really gonna stop him._

"If you wanna rough him up a little, I promise I won't put it in my report," April winks at him.

"Heh..." He smiles slightly at her joke. "Let's think of something else before he gets a shot in."

He can travel to the bike above the car, but that's it for going further up. So he'll just have to use someone to travel around. He shuts the car door and waits for the officer to come to him. When the man is close enough, Donnie travels to his nightstick. He lets the man take him to the left, where Kraang has reappeared, near the lever of the wrecking ball. He proceeds to point the gun again.

"If I want that position, I have to be careful of even the least bit of light. Division head is my ambition for this year. Next year, my motto will be...If I wanna be director, I have to be careful of even the least bit of scandal."

"So it sounds like he won't show up in spots where a light is on," Donnie says in thought.

"And, next year, I'm going to spread some nasty, scandalous rumors about him!" April nods sharply, crossing her arms. Donnie shakes his head with an amused smile. April was pretty funny in dire situations. He travels from the nightstick to a spotlight above Kraang, turning that one on. But as soon as Donnie does that, the first one he turned on goes out.

"Oh, look at that! One of the lights went out!" April points to it.

"There are three lights here all together," Donnie sees the last light next to him that's on. "Apparently, we can't have all three of them on at once."

"Our station is crazy cheap when it comes to electricity," April explains, "Just so another detective could see what he was doing the other day...I had to pedal my bicycle in place to work the headlamp."

"A very sad tale indeed." _Sounds like they're taking things way too far._

He travels to the police siren and waits before he turns it on, gaining the attention of the two police officers. They gather at the light as it turns on. "Hey, did you turn that flashing light on?"

"Wasn't me. It went off all by itself. Scared the heck outta me."

"Well, just make sure you lay off it. Don't wanna waste any electricity."

"Have things gotten that tight? That's pretty sad."

April grins at Donnie knowingly. "They're really putting the squeeze on us lately about using too much power at sites. They won't even let us use all of our searchlights at once."

"Oh, boy...We oughta be free to do at least that much, especially on a dark night like tonight."

After their complaints, they turn so that they're back-to-back. Donnie travels to the one on the left so that he can get to the leftmost spotlight. When the officer passes by it, Donnie gets to it and turns it off instead of on. This surprises the officer as he was standing right in front of the bulb. Donnie goes back to the nightstick and moves the screen to see Kraang back in his original spot. He waits for the officer to move back to the police siren. Once again, he waits for the other officer so that he can travel to the right.

He gets to the car door, opens it with no one suspecting him, and travels to the spotlight again, turning it on. Kraang ducks down and Donnie goes to the car door. He closes it once again and looks around for the hitman or whatever he is. He goes back to the nightstick and takes another look around. Finally, Kraang shows up at the farthest spot, readying his gun again.

"Hmm. This is quite a distance from the target...but I can't work under a spotlight even if I wanted to. Whatever! A shot like this is nothing for a brain of my skill!"

"Mr. Division Head seems to like dark, gloomy places," April points out. "I'd be happy to throw him in a dark, gloomy cell! Come on, Donnie. Get him!"

 _Hold up! When did I become HER assistant?!_

April says nothing, even though he knows she can hear his thoughts. Donnie has to wait again for the officer to move and he travels to the siren, turning it on again. Just like before, the officers gather around the car. Donnie travels to the left nightstick, catching a glimpse of a big crate above the hitman. He gets an idea, but he needs to hurry.

 _Time till Death: 3_

Donnie goes to the crossing gate, the one that he used to save April, raising it. The umbrella Casey left behind flies over to the crate and the officer is shocked to see it move. Well, when they reach the new present, he won't remember it anyway. He goes up to the crane holding the crate, opening it so that the crate falls on the hitman, killing him. The officers walk up to each other, not noticing the crate behind them.

"Did you hear a scream just now?"

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"

"Nobody said it was."

Donnie and April look at the crate. "There. We found a nice dark spot for our gloom-loving hitman. I think your death has just been erased...again."

They both laugh, high-fiving each other.

 _Fate Averted!_

"Why not, I wonder...?" April asks once they're back in her mind.

"Huh?" He asks in confusion.

"Why don't I have powers like yours? If I could do things like you do, it could really help me pursue my case..." She then pouts, looking upset. "Why only the special few, huh? It's not fair!"

 _That's the same thing the little doggie said, too._ "Well, I'm jealous of you, actually," He smiles slightly.

"You are? Why?"

"Because your life can be saved. Even if you die again tonight. I can save you, with my ghost tricks. Nobody...nobody can save my life, though."

"Oh..." She frowns in guilt. "Or Splinter...and the rest..."

 _These powers of the dead...why have they chosen me? Will I find the answer to that question tonight?_

"Donnie...I'm so sorry..." April murmurs and he shakes his head.

"Stop apologizing, April. Really...well, you're free to do as you please now. I guess this is goodbye...Detective," He holds out his hand, but she doesn't shake it.

"Will we...ever see each other again?" She whispers, about to cry.

"If you ever want to see me again, all you have to do is die," He immediately cringes at what he just said. _I'm such an idiot, I don't want her to die just to see me!_

April laughs, however, and she smiles at him. "No, I...I don't want to see you just because I died. Because I missed you."

He looks at her in surprise. She...wasn't lying, she genuinely meant that. "...I missed you too, April. Well, guess we'd better be getting back...to the present." He clears his throat, holding out his hand again. She instead lunges towards him, hugging the turtle. Donnie gasps in surprise before he returns the embrace, smiling gently.

"Thank you, Donnie..."

And with that, he's transported back into the present, at the crate that has been lifted. Kraang's body is no longer there, which means the police must've taken him away at this point. "April has escaped death for a second time. But that doesn't mean she's out of the water yet. I'd better go see how she's doing."

He goes to the umbrella below and does a trick to get to the lower level. From there, he travels to the phone using the same method as last time.

 _"Well..."_ Ryan speaks up. _"It looks like congratulations are in order."_

 _"You've erased another death. Good job,"_ Lia tells him.

"But I haven't gotten any further in solving my own mystery, though," Donnie frowns slightly.

 _"But that woman holds the key. Don't forget that,"_ Ryan points out.

"April, huh? Now that she's alive again, she's probably still being detained in the super's office...She won't be able to pursue her case without the freedom to move around." _I'd better go back to the super's office and see her._

 _"That sounds like a good idea,"_ Lia seems to agree. He uses the phone to scroll down to the office's phone.

He decides to go back to the office where April is being detained. With her changed fate, her story is sure to change, too. And maybe that would lead them in some new direction...Now that April is alive again, he wonders what she's doing. She says she's investigating an important case tonight. Could that case be connected to him in any way...?


	5. Chapter 5

**Angel: Sorry this is so late, my classes this year are from 12:30 to 3:15. However, one of my teachers was a no show, and then I had to get something to eat, and here I am. Also, one character from the 2014 movie and another from the 80s show appears in this chapter ;)**

 _8:34 PM_

When April lost her life for the second time, she was being detained. On suspicion of his murder. But he saved her, hoping to solve his own mystery. Living creatures can choose to live their lives in one of two ways. They can either submit to their fate, or they can try to change it.

April is definitely in the second camp.

As soon as he got back to the junkyard superintendent's office...that fact was really brought home to him.

He arrives to see Officer Timothy being scolded by Slash. "FOOL! We told you not to let the suspect out of your sight!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" Officer Timothy stammers. "But I never th-thought she would run away! April is our angel...I mean friend. I mean...she's like family to us!"

Yup, he definitely has a thing for April...not that Donnie cared. Why should he? April should be able to date whoever she wants...if she even wanted to date. She didn't seem like the type to settle down with someone right now. Wait, why is he even thinking about this?

"Angel, friend, or family—they all run when they have the chance! Do you have any idea how many years it's been since my family ran away and they all came back dead?!" Slash demands, clenching a fist. His expression then falters at the mention of them.

"I'm very sorry! I have no idea, sir!" Officer Timothy is sweating now. "I forgot that you used to be Raph's pet turtle..."

Pet turtle, eh? He must've gone through the same process that Donnie did to become a turtle. Didn't Mikey mention Raph, anyway? He's curious as to what happened with him...

"Hmph! You'll never make detective at that rate! Now, find April."

"Yes, sir..." Officer Timothy sags his shoulders. Donnie couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. Slash turns his shell to the man, shaking his head.

"If Inspector Jones gets word of this, it's all over..." And with that, he walks up to the door, opens it, and leaves the room. Officer Timothy drops his hand in relief.

"So our red-headed detective escaped, did she?" Donnie smirks to himself. _But I just barely saved her a few minutes ago. Whew, she's fast._ "Well, guess I'll look around for leads." April certainly didn't waste any time. He wondered where she went...it probably had to do with that case of hers.

Donnie waits until the officer's back is turned so that he can go to the Ghost World. He goes through the lamp from the phone, to the teapot, and then to the stepladder. He sees a room below him and moves to the ceiling fan, but there's nothing out of the ordinary. He goes back to the office and back to the stepladder. He sees that he can move it and he does so. On the other side of the room, Irma's there, looking over at a piled desk. It must be where the superintendent does his work.

"That old monkey man...do you suppose he's carrying out some sort of research here?" She murmurs to herself as she looks over the microscope and some complex equipment. Just what exactly is this mutant doing... "Look at all these precision instruments and complicated devices..."

Officer Timothy isn't paying attention as he's looking at a dumbwaiter that's right next to a door. Irma notices he hasn't said anything and turns to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Ma'am! I think maybe this is how April escaped—through here," He presses a red button, causing the metal door to open.

"She couldn't possibly fit in that tiny little elevator!" Irma dismisses it. No one could really fit in there.

"Oh, I don't know, ma'am...April is pretty slim..." Officer Timothy thinks to himself.

"Fool! Don't you know that us women can make themselves appear slim through fashion?! To this day, I STILL don't know how much I weigh!"

Officer Timothy salutes, looking sheepish now. "I'm very sorry! I had no idea, ma'am!"

"Hmph! You'll never make detective at that rate!" Irma holds her head up high as Timothy closes the door silently. "Anyway...where is that old monkey mutant, anyway...?"

"Oh, him, ma'am? He went through the door behind me," Officer Timothy jerks a thumb to the door behind him. When Irma goes to open it, it's locked.

"It won't open."

"Apparently, that door leads to the basement, but it's currently locked, ma'am," Officer Timothy holds up a finger. So that must've been the room that Donnie saw before he moved. Irma turns around back to the desk with the mysterious equipment.

"These instruments...they're all very suspicious. You'd better keep your eye on that old chimp, too."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Irma walks past him to look back at the instruments, to try and figure out what type of work this mutant does. Donnie moves the stepladder to the left, which gets the officer's attention. Donnie moves back to the phone as the officer looks at the ladder weirdly.

"I could swear I just saw this thing move...Don't tell me...! Could it be...it sensed the tension between me and the detective, and moved to get away from it...?"

 _That was an unexpected tangent._

"I'll never make detective at this rate..." Officer Timothy frowns deeply. He's been hearing that for years. He's too goofy or he'll never be a detective...not like April...maybe he should've stuck with that ice cream truck job. "What I need is some sort of achievement, a feather in my cap...if only I could find a helpful lead, that might do the trick..."

 _A helpful and blindingly obvious lead is staring you in the face right now..._ The notebook that April hid is literally in the officer's view, but for some reason he can't see it. Donnie moves from the phone to the lamp. He makes it swivel so that it's facing the notebook. He then switches over to the lightbulb and turns it on, Officer Timothy looking down at the book in surprise. He grabs it, recognizing it immediately.

"Huh...? This is...April's notebook! If I give this back to her, it might 'spark' something between us...Hmm...what to do, what to do...? This is a very complicated matter..." he starts looking through it, Irma seeing him. She walks up to the officer.

"What have you got there, rookie?" She pushes up her glasses.

"What, this?!" Officer Timothy glances at her and then at the book. "Oh...uh...this is...um..."

"Wait a minute...is that...?" Irma notices the yellow color that's the same as April's coat.

"Y-Yes, ma'am! It's April's notebook!" Officer Timothy stammers.

"Notebook, eh? Come to think of it, there was something about that in the report. Something about her looking at her notebook and making a phone call..." Irma snatches the notebook from the officer, flipping through it. She sees something, her eyes widening. "This must be it. This telephone number with the big circle around it. Aren't you curious to know who she was calling?"

"I am! I really am, ma'am! I'd like to know!" Officer Timothy exclaims quickly. He then realizes that they're looking through April's private things for information. "...Oh! But I don't have any ulterior motive for wanting to know, though. No, ma'am! No, ma'am!"

"This number might be an important lead," Irma says to herself. April is a good friend to her, but right now, she's a suspect. And Inspector Jones did order them to take this seriously... "I'd better check it out, just to be safe." She really hoped that this number didn't implicate April any further than she already is. She walks up to the phone and opens the book, putting the receiver to her ear. Donnie decides to check it out too as he travels to the phone.

On the phone is another officer, who's inside his office. "Hello? To whom am I speaking, please?"

"Yes?! Hello?!" The officer demands.

"This is a criminal investigation. We need your cooperation," Irma states and Officer Thompson recognizes her voice.

"Hey, I know that voice...is that you, Detective Langenstein?"

"Oh...is that...Officer Thompson?" Irma murmurs in confusion. Why would April call him?

"What's up, ma'am? You don't usually call this late." Or at all, really.

"Oh, uh..." Irma feels awkward now as she wasn't expecting to talk to him. And the fact that it's about April does not make things better. "Did you get a call from one of our detectives, April, earlier?"

"From April? Yes, I did. She calls every night. Maybe she senses it's about to happen."

Irma frowns to herself about the event that's supposed to take place tonight. "Did she say anything...special?"

"No, not really. Is something wrong?"

She decides not to tell him as the officer doesn't need to be mixed up in this. There's already enough people worrying about April. "Yes, well...ahem. I might be contacting you again if I have any other questions." And with that, she hangs up, sighing in relief.

 _Trace Complete._

And Donnie also gets the phone number to the office. Irma turns to Officer Timothy. "I'm going to file the report down at the station. I need you to be vigilant here," She points to the ground and the officer salutes, eyeing the notebook.

"Excuse me, Detective, but..." He pauses as he wanted to give that book back to April...

"What is it?" Irma looks annoyed, hands on her hips.

"That notebook...would you mind if I gave...?" He stops right there. April has shown no feelings towards him...he's just gonna get hurt if he gave it back...and he'd lose her trust if she finds out that they called Officer Thompson. He can't have that. "Uh, never mind, ma'am!"

"Hmph. Just stay on your toes," She huffs as she leaves the room with the notebook in her hand. Officer Timothy drops his hand and Donnie decides to check out that officer, to see if he can figure out why April called him. He wondered if this is connected to him, but that's probably not likely...

Using the phone, he heads to the office. Honestly, he's so used to this now and it hasn't even been that long since he's had these ghost tricks of his. He sees Officer Thompson sitting at his desk with the phone, while another officer is sitting across the room, with a glass of almost empty wine on the desk in front of him. There's TV monitors above the desks, a chalkboard, a shelf between the two men, and glass that's not see through across the room. The officer across the room shuffles a pack of cards into his hands.

"What was that call all about? I heard you say April," Officer Fenwick states knowingly. Officer Thompson turns around to him as he makes the cards fall into his left hand.

"I don't really know. If I had to take a guess, though, I would probably say...something's going on with her." Officer Thompson looks worried, but Officer Fenwick just laughs.

"Ha ha ha! The only place in the world where nothing is going on is inside your brain, Thompson!" Officer Fenwick slaps his knee, still laughing. Officer Thompson then spins around in his chair slowly, yelling as his arm is stretched out. He stands up, clenching his fists. He gets agitated easily.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" He pauses as he worded that differently. "I mean, I know what the words mean...That's not what I'm asking. That was my way of expressing indignation, putting it in the form of a question..." he clenches his fists harder and sits back down.

"I just hope April's not doing anything crazy. I'm a fan of hers, ya know?" Officer Fenwick turns around in his chair, shuffling his cards. She must be pretty popular around the police department.

"According to my log...April has been calling here nearly every night as of late," Officer Thompson scrolls through his message book.

"So let's see..." Donnie muses to himself. "This is the place April took all that risk to call, eh?" _But what exactly IS this place?_ He waits as Officer Thompson puts up a memo on the chalkboard. Since he can't read, he needs to figure out what it says. He possesses it and sees that he can make the paper fly off. Hmm...with the right wind and angle...

He presses Trick and just like he predicted, the paper flies over to Officer Fenwick. He turns around and catches it into his hand. He examines it, waving it around.

"Hey, what's this?"

Officer Thompson turns around to him. "Oh, that? I wrote down my duties for the night, so I wouldn't forget any of them."

"You can't keep 'em in your head? It's not like you have a ton of 'duties,' after all. Use a little brain power."

Officer Thompson gives out another frustrated yell as he spins around slowly like before. He stands up again. Donnie wonders if this is normal. "What are you talking about?! Weren't you the one who just said nothing was going on inside my brain?!"

Officer Fenwick pauses as that wasn't the reaction he was expecting. "Hmm, didn't think you'd take it in quite that direction..."

And with that, Officer Thompson sits back down. Officer Fenwick takes a glance at the paper. "So let's see this important 'to do' list of yours...9 o'clock: Take Prisoner C38 to the telephone room."

"Yes, he just made a request to use the phone a little while ago," Officer Thompson reports.

"9 o'clock, eh? That's when April usually calls," Officer Fenwick murmurs to himself.

"Well, we can't let her talk to 'him' tonight. Rules are rules," Officer Thompson crosses his arms, right leg over his left.

"Aw, poor April," Officer Fenwick frowns. "Sure wish I could comfort her..." He then crumples up the paper and throws it into the trash can, getting another agitated reaction from Officer Thompson. Officer Fenwick chuckles to himself.

"Wh-What do you think you're doing, Vern?! That's my important 'duties memo'!"

"That's okay," Officer Vern Fenwick grins, "I've got it all memorized for ya, Burne."

"W-Well, it's your duty to guard the telephone room, you know!" Officer Burne Thompson looks straight at a tiny room with a single telephone at the left side. "Just make sure you do your job when the time comes! If you can remember what it is!" He turns sharply back to his desk. Officer Thompson gives an amused smile as he turns back to his own 'work.' Suddenly the phone rings. Donnie, wondering who it is, decides to sneak in.

It's April! In an unknown room, but it's still April! Donnie looks down at himself, confused as to why he sounded so excited to see her. Yes, they were best friends, but...this felt different. April looks serious on the phone as she's standing in front of a dumbwaiter, the same one that was in the super's office...

"Hello?"

"A-April!" Officer Thompson stammers in surprise as it's not 9 yet.

"I'm sorry. I don't have much time. Please let me talk to him!" April begs as she plays with the phone cord.

"I-I'm sorry, Detective. I can't do that tonight." He's sweating as Irma already called to talk about her. Just what is April hiding? He doesn't know, but he doesn't want her to know that he's suspicious of her.

"You can't...? But you always let me talk to him before..." She looks upset.

"Well, uh...the telephone room is always reserved...that's why."

"Oh..." She sniffles as she's about to cry. She really needed to speak to him.

"By the way, is something going on with you tonight?" Officer Thompson blurts out, Officer Fenwick facepalming himself. He shakes his head slowly.

"Don't do it..." He calls out, but his partner ignores him.

"What...? Why do you ask?" April wonders in confusion.

"I got a call from one of the other detectives a minute ago. Irma's asking about you."

"O-Oh, really?" April pulls at the collar from her coat. She ponders what exactly Irma asked. "Well, I don't think it's anything important! Officer Thompson...? Do you think you could keep this call just between us? Even if only for tonight?"

"Well, I...uh..." Officer Thompson starts sweating because if Irma calls again, he'd be withholding important evidence...hypothetically, if April is still a suspect.

"Oh! Well, I've gotta go! I'll call again tomorrow!" She says rapidly and she hangs up.

 _Trace Complete._

Donnie gets the number to wherever April is. "Oh, boy..." Officer Thompson sighs slowly, rubbing a temple. "Well, I guess I'd better call the detective division..." He picks up the receiver and Officer Fenwick turns to him sharply at that.

"Hold on there, Thompson!"

"What?" Officer Thompson asks irritably.

"Don't tell me you're gonna report that call from April?" He asks in disbelief.

"What else can I do? It's my duty," Officer Thompson says in a duh tone.

"Just write it down on one of your important 'to do' lists! And then I can wad it up for you and throw it away."

Officer Thompson puts down the receiver, turning to him. "You mean, you want me to keep quiet about it?"

"Well, isn't that what she asked you to do?" Officer Fenwick questions, giving him a look.

"Well...yes, but..."

"Tonight is kind of a 'special case' for us. Can't you make a special exception for my April, too?"

Officer Thompson slowly realizes that he has a point, sighing. "Special case, huh? Alright, you win." He turns back to his desk.

 _New info has been added._

Donnie decides to leave, as he needed to get to April. He uses the new phone number he got to travel through the phone lines. And when he gets there...

April is dead. No, seriously. Again. The mutant monkey walks into the room next to the phone outside and sees April on the floor. He bends down to her as Officer Timothy gets inside, also seeing the deceased April.

"April! Apppppril! Oh, why couldn't it have been me instead?!" He shouts in sadness. Donnie's upset too...but only a little as he can save her. At least...he knows he can. It looks like she died from a gunshot wound as the blood on the ground is starting to dry, but he can't tell where she was shot. He had just heard her speaking to an officer a few minutes ago, what could've happened? "I'm no use as a police officer! It should have been me!"

"It looks like she's dead. We'd better not touch her," The mutant looks up to Officer Timothy.

"Who did this?! Who shot April?!" He looks around for a culprit...except no one else is there. "Hey...excuse me, mister."

"Are you speaking to me?" The monkey eyes him again as he was focused on April. Officer Timothy looks to see weird stuff. First, there's a gun on the wall, and second, there's a candle being held by a glass statue. Also, there's a white and red present on a table. It looks like...a room for a birthday party?

"This room...there aren't any other exits besides this one, are there?" For a killer to have gone out through the front door, someone would've seen him, as the police are still around the area. So why didn't anyone report anything?

"Do you see one?" The monkey asks sarcastically, hands on his hips.

"Huh...? Then how did...? We must have one of those mysterious 'locked room' murder cases on our hands! One of those cases where the murderer vanishes into thin air in a vacuum!"

"Just go find a real detective," the monkey sighs slowly. "I'll keep watch here."

"Yes, sir!" Officer Timothy salutes and rushes out the door. The monkey shakes her head at the body, sighing.

"What a terrible turn of events..."

So now a 'locked room' murder, eh? Things never get dull for the redhead...He knows of a certain inspector who might dance around at the thought of a mystery. But no mysteries for him. Not when he can rewind time and talk to the victim herself. Guess it's time to go back and see the truth behind this murder with his own eyes.

He moves from the phone to a lamp to get to April. "Ha ha! I died again!" She beams happily, which surprises him. That was...not the reaction he thought she'd have.

"I thought you'd be a little more grave, under the circumstances..."

"Yeah, well, this is the third time, after all...it's scary what a girl can get used to, don't you think?"

 _Frankly, the way her mind works is a whole shell of a lot scarier to me..._

"So what happened this time? Who shot you?" He asks seriously.

"I don't know," She tries to think.

"What?" He questions, not sure if he heard that right.

"I'd like to know, myself. Who could've done it...? Who shot me?!"

"W-What are you asking me for?!" He stammers, as he didn't see anything that would implicate there even was someone else there. _Oh, boy...Guess I'll just have to go find that out myself. Is she certain we were best friends?_

"Yep," April grins at him. "Okay, go do your thing. Hurry along now."

 _I get the distinct impression I'm being used here..._

"I'm not," April states, smiling. "I wanna know more about how your powers work, Donnie."

"Okay," He smiles back genuinely. "Looks like it's time to go back...back to four minutes before your death!"

He rewinds time and the footage appears. April places a hand on his shoulder. "What do you think it is this time?"

He shrugs at her, hoping that he can get some answers from her later.

 _8:44 PM Maint Building—Basement. 4 minutes before death._

He sees April hanging up from her phone call with Officer Thompson. She hears something from the door in front of her and leans in to listen. The monkey is working in the dark for some reason, using a lantern to light his way. He looks around the room as he seems to be examining it. "How long has it been since I locked this room up in darkness? I once thought the truth could be discovered in darkness..."

Both April and Donnie wonder just what he means by that. "Maybe it was just that the time wasn't ripe." He turns around and starts walking up to the door. The pigeon on his head flies up to the lantern and flaps its wings, blowing out the flame. April hears it and quickly presses the button to the dumbwaiter. She crawls inside, hugging her knees as the door closes.

So that officer was right after all...

The mutant opens the door, closing it behind him as he walks up the stairs. April is about to step back out when the phone rings. She jumps back inside her hiding spot and the monkey uses the railing to slide back down. He answers the phone, but says nothing, hanging up. Upstairs, it turns out that Officer Timothy called him. He probably couldn't get past the locked door.

"He hung up." He puts the receiver down, not noticing the burning teapot. The smoke hits him from behind and he stumbles, rubbing his back. The monkey mutant walks up the stairs again and April comes out from her little hiding spot. She opens the door in front of her, which was not locked for some reason.

"Why's it so dark...?" She flips a light switch, which lights up the room. But it also makes the ceiling fan spin. As it's spinning, the string connecting the fan lifts the lid, revealing a birthday cake that's obviously gone bad. The tennis ball that was sitting on the fan falls into a bowl, and the force causes a statue to tilt. It hits the other ones, turning a fan. It spins downwards as a lid is lifted from a crate near April, a cupid doll lifted up. The lighter opens and the arrow from the cupid lights on fire. The cupid turns around and fires, lighting the candle from the statue. It ignites a string that's going towards a gun! Before April can react, she's shot in the chest, and falls to her death. Everything quickly goes back to normal as if nothing happened.

 _THAT'S the truth behind our locked room murder...?_

"So the 'murderer' was a mechanical...murder machine?!" April asks in disbelief.

"Murder machine?" Donnie questions slowly at the term.

"When I came into the room, it was pitch-dark, so I turned on the light. That must've been what set it off—the murder machine, I mean!"

"Can you please stop repeating the words murder machine?" Donnie can't help but laugh. It's ridiculous, but that doesn't mean it's not hilarious.

"That old monkey mutant must've made it," April rubs her chin. "But why?"

 _What could be the meaning behind this weird room? Why does he have it in his basement?_

"Anyway, you'll have to find some way to stop that creepy machine. Once Cupid fires his arrow, it's all over."

She couldn't be anymore right. How was he gonna stop a gunshot like that one? Well...no one said it was impossible...

He's on the floor in the dark since that's where April died. April hangs up the phone again and leans in towards the door. Since there's nowhere for him to go yet that's close, he'll have to wait for an opportunity. And he gets that opportunity as the monkey moves closer. Donnie travels from the floor to the lantern. The mutant moves closer to the door and when he raises it, Donnie moves to the phone. April goes back into her hiding spot as the door opens.

Like last time, the phone rings and April has to hide again. The mutant slides down to the ground. He only has 2 minutes left, so he has to time this just right.

The other person on the line is Officer Timothy. "Oh! Um, is this the superintendent? I'm so glad! I thought I was all alone..."

The superintendent monkey says nothing. Since there's nothing else nearby for him to possess, there's only one other way to access more things.

He goes to the upper level of the office. "He hung up." Donnie moves from the phone to the teapot. He makes it steam loud enough for the officer to hear, getting his attention. Officer Timothy lifts up the pot and kneels in front of the tiny oven.

"April ran away, the detectives yelled at me, the old monkey mutant ignored me...and then the kettle nearly scared me to death...my life is in complete shambles!"

"That's gratitude for you! We were just trying to warn you with the kettle whistle!" April cringes. "Would you have preferred getting scalded by the steam?"

"Well, at least his fate was changed a bit...not in a way that benefits him, but still. That's good, anyway."

 _Fate Changed._

Donnie moves from the kettle to the light from the lower level, switching over to the tennis ball. Now here's where things get really complicated for him...

April opens the door, shutting it behind her. She turns on the light switch, meaning he doesn't have much time.

 _Time till Death: 3_

The ball eventually lands in the bowl and April clasps her hands, hoping that Donnie can do this. The ball hits one of the statues and Donnie goes to the Ghost World, moving from the cake to a door in the ground...?

 _Time till Death: 2_

He opens it, making it lift up in the air. He goes back to the cake, to the ball, and then to the toolbox. And he had to do it quick or else the ball would roll away and it would be out of reach. He waits until the ball rolls near the toolbox and he opens it. This moves a bowling ball, which falls and hits a shovel. The shovel tilts down to hit the tennis ball, which changes the direction of the cupid so that it's facing towards the cake and not the gun. The arrow flies across the candles, lighting them as the arrow hits some party poppers and they go off, leaving April amazed. Donnie sighs in relief, wiping the sweat off of him. That was probably the most complex death ever.

"What just happened?" April murmurs.

"It looks like your future just got a whole lot rosier," They both chuckle at the joke, as he was referring to the surprise that April had just got. "Your death has been erased...again."

"I, uh...thank you," She smiles at him. "You kept your promise, didn't you, Donnie?"

"My promise?" He didn't recall a promise.

"You said I'd see you again if I died," She reminds him.

"I don't remember making any promises. I would've saved you regardless of a promise," He winks at her playfully and they both smile at each other.

 _Fate Averted._

Something else seems to be on April's mind. "What could this room be all about?"

"Hmm...I can't imagine." Was the monkey planning to kill someone? Or was it all really just for a birthday?

"Those things that went off at the end. Those were party poppers, weren't they?"

"Party poppers?" Well...being dead with no memories... _I have no recollection of what they are, but that's no surprise..._

"The party poppers, the gun going off...it seems familiar somehow..." She can't put her finger on it, since she just got her life back for the third time...but it'll come to her eventually.

"I'll leave that part of the puzzle to you," Donnie grins at her. "I have my own puzzle to figure out. Well, shall we go back now? Back to your new 'present'?"

April smiles a little as they go back to the new present. In the new reality, April is still in the room, sitting on the table. She jumps down, taking in her surroundings. "Donnie...? Are you there...?"

 _April is...talking to me...?_ That's never happened to him before. Not like this...

"If you're there, could you say something? If you're not there...I guess I'm just a weird girl who talks to herself." She beams in amusement.

 _Well, you are kind of weird, whether you talk to yourself or not...but a good weird._

He moves from the toolbox to her subconscious so that he can talk to her. "You are here!" She cheers happily. "I knew it! I just had that feeling. Shame on you for stepping foot into a girl's head uninvited. Wait a minute...! Don't give me that 'a ghost doesn't have feet' bit. It's just a figure of speech!"

"Did I say anything?" Donnie asks in amusement.

"There! That tone! It's that tone of yours that makes me laugh!" She giggles and he smiles, proud of himself. Wait, what is he doing? Why did he want to make her laugh?

"So...did you have something particular you wanted to say to me?" He wonders as he does have his own business to get to. Even if April's his best friend...or really a friend that he talks to the most out of everyone he's met.

"I just thought I'd share some information with you. I'm investigating a case right now. A murder case. And I'm doing it alone."

"A murder case...all by yourself?" He asks slowly.

"Yes, well, that's because the case was closed a long time ago. The 'culprit' is already behind bars, forgotten by the world," She looks down at that last sentence.

"So why are you looking into it, then?"

"Because I think the person's innocent, that's why!" She exclaims in defense before sighing. "I'm sorry. There's just...something strange behind the case, some big mystery. I firmly believe that. So, anyway, I finally have my memory back. I'm not at liberty to tell you about the case...but if there's anything else you want to know, I'll try to answer what I can."

 _April is my only 'lead.' I WOULD like to ask her about a few things..._

"You have your life AND your memory back now..." April nods at that. "So let me ask you again...who shot me tonight?"

"Yeah, I thought that might be the first thing on your mind..." She sighs slowly.

"What else would it be?" That's literally the only thing that's been on his mind since hour 1. "There's a good chance I was shot while I was with you, after all."

"I'm afraid...my memory just isn't clear on that part." She says regrettably.

"Not clear?" Didn't she already say her memory was back?

"I met with you tonight...and then you fell down right in front of me. I think I remember seeing that part. I'm pretty sure you were shot. Maybe...from somewhere far away..." Her voice falters at the vivid moments...

"So you didn't see the culprit?" Donnie places a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, Donnie. I wish I could be of more help. But I know I wasn't the one who shot you."

"Your colleagues seem to think you're a suspect, though," Donnie points out.

"I wanted the information you had for me," She states like it was obvious. "So why would I shoot you before I got it? I've never even used it to kill anyone."

 _Information, huh? I wonder what info I had for her?_

"By the way, I see you have a little roommate. Two of 'em, in fact," He grins at the memory of saying goodbye to one of them.

"Tori and Mikey? How do you know about them?" She asks curiously.

"There was a tiny...incident at your apartment a little while ago," He starts off gently so he doesn't freak her out.

"An incident? What kind of incident?" She frowns a little. "What happened?! Are Mikey and Tori alright?!"

"She's fine, thanks to her loyal little friend, Mikey. Although I did have a little trouble bringing him back to life..."

"Oh my..." She covers her mouth in shock. "What in the world is going on? Why would anybody want to hurt Mikey and Tori?"

Donnie might as well tell her since it would be wrong to keep it from her. She deserved to know the truth... "You're...being targeted by a certain organization."

"What?!" She shouts in alarm.

"I saw them—the people who were calling you their...target." He remembers the alien body and that spiked muscled man.

"So I'm a suspect and a target by Shredder and the Kraang? Could this night possibly get any worse?!"

"Shredder and the who?"

"Oh, right, you don't remember..." April says in realization. "Shredder...was your archenemy."

"I had an archenemy?"

"Yes, and...well...you weren't alone. You had me, obviously, and you had...others. I can't tell you just yet, you'll need to see it for yourself. And the Kraang...are the reason you look like that." She points to himself and he looks down at his green fingers.

"They...turned me into this?"

"Not just you. It's called mutagen. It can turn anyone into anything as long they're nearby an animal or a plant. And they also wanted to invade Earth. They're an alien race bent on making Earth into their own. But I thought they all were gone..." April murmurs that last part to herself.

"We destroyed them?"

"I THOUGHT we did! They haven't been active for years, Donnie. Why are they suddenly back...?"

"It...does sound pretty rough. Are you sure you'll be okay on your own? They sound dangerous," Donnie frowns in worry.

"Huh?"

"You know what they say...when it rains, it pours. But...isn't it time you admitted you need me, need my powers?"

She sweats a little. "I'm sorry. I can't cooperate with you. Things right now are complicated."

He frowns to himself. He could use the help to get things done when he's saving lives. Not only that, he wanted to know more about his past life...

"Yes, you saved my life tonight...multiple times. And I'm completely grateful for that. But...as a detective, I still can't trust you." She doesn't know the extent of his memories and letting him know everything wasn't something she could risk.

"That's...too bad," He sighs. At least she trusted him as a friend. "So...I had important information that you wanted, huh?"

"That's right. You called me yesterday. And you asked to talk to me for a minute. You told me you had an important lead on the case I was working on," She says simply.

"Important lead, huh?" He rubs his chin. What could that possibly be? And in a murder case?

"You said you wanted to meet me and talk to me directly. Tonight, at the junkyard."

"And you fell for it?" He asks incredibly. "Even given how fishy it sounds?"

"Donnie, it was you. And you're the last person I wanna hear that from, you know!" She laughs slightly. "But I just couldn't let it go, no matter how shady it seemed. That's because I'm running out of time, and...it had been a while since I saw you."

What did that mean? "Hey, that's right. You said something was going down tonight. Does that 'something' have to do with the case you're working on?"

She says nothing for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, but I can't talk about it."

 _Oh, shell...but I guess I understand...some things were just confidential..._

After their talk, April thinks to herself. Would it really be so bad to allow Donnie to team up with her? She knows that this is dangerous territory, but...he still doesn't remember. Maybe whatever he finds out would spark something in his memory? She hopes so.

She gets down from the table, inspecting the door that's still open. She looks down to see a hidden passageway.

"So what are you gonna do now?"

"Run, I guess. They'll catch me again if I don't get out of here. I'm still wanted. And I have to get to the restaurant. I'm worried about Tori."

"Oh, yeah. What was it...? Murakami's in the Upper East Village, right?"

"What about you, Donnie? What are you going to do?" She asks curiously.

"I don't know, to tell you the truth. You're my only lead. If you leave..." he doesn't finish as she knows what would happen. He'd cease to exist, and she'd never hear from him again...

Well, she'll just have to prevent that now, won't she?

"I just realized...you and I are in the same boat. We're both looking for answers tonight, and neither one of us has anybody to help us."

"That about sums it up." No way would her colleagues or Inspector Jones help her out. They'd keep her in for questioning. "Hey...even if you can't cooperate with me, how about if we just agree to use each other?"

April looks up in surprise, turning around as if she's looking right at him. "That's not a bad idea...you're on. But can I ask you to do a favor for me first?"

"What's that?"

"I need you to sneak into a certain place for me." This would be a test, to see if she can trust him as a detective. And besides...she didn't want him to leave this world. He can't. "A prison, to be exact."

"Prison...?" He asks at her request. It's strange that she'd want him to go there...

"That's the place I was calling from the office upstairs. I want you to go find out a certain prisoner's work schedule for tomorrow."

"Work schedule? For a prisoner?" He rubs his chin. Why does she want that?

"Yes, the prisoners are given different job details every day. Each prisoner's schedule for the next day is written on a small blackboard in his cell," She explains.

"So just go check out a certain prisoner's blackboard, huh? Okay," He nods slowly. That should be simple, right?

"His prisoner number is D99. If you do that for me, I'll cooperate with you."

"Okay," He grins slightly. "You're on."

With that settled, she lifts open the door and jumps inside, closing the door above her. She takes in her surroundings. "Okay, see you later!" She smiles and he smiles back.

"See you. But don't die again, if you can help it."

She chuckles slightly. "No promises." She runs off to go to Murakami's. She ends up on the lower level of outside, where Donnie's body was being examined. She looks back to where Donnie is, hoping that he'll get his answers...She looks back to the lamp and stop sign before she's gone. The lamp starts swiveling around and so does the stop sign.

It looks like he holds the key to the case April is investigating...and she holds the key to solving the 'mystery of him'...so they've started up a strange 'relationship of cooperation.'

April gave him an assignment. His task is to go check out tomorrow's work schedule for prisoner D99. He'd better get to the prison.


	6. Chapter 6

_9:03 PM_

Lost memories of self...a forgotten murder case...a dead turtle and a detective joined forces to find out the truth behind them both. The detective assigned the dead turtle a task: to sneak into the prison and find out a certain prisoner's schedule for tomorrow.

What should he care? He doesn't have a schedule for tomorrow...that's how he's feeling about it at the moment.

He's still in the toolbox like before. He goes up to a hoist in the ceiling and he moves it to the ceiling fan that's still spinning. He goes to the motor, allowing him to go to the upper floor. He travels to the stepladder, to the kettle, to the lamp, and then to the phone. Officer Timothy is sitting in a chair, kneeling over to the ground. The monkey mutant is just watching him.

"It's all over...it's all over for me...April-sweet, cute April, who shines as bright as the sun—ran away from me...and then those detectives—matching bookends, purple and green—yelled at me..."

"Hmph. Forget about all that. Now you listen to me, young man."

"Yes, sir...?" Officer Timothy doesn't look up.

"My name is Dr. Tyler Rockwell. Your 'bright as the sun' April probably doesn't even know you exist. And those detectives will probably yell at you your whole life. Never mind fretting about every little setback. Enjoy your life! Get what you can out of it!" He encourages, as lamenting over something like that was unimportant to him.

"Mister Rockwell...would you just leave me alone?"

Donnie cringes, but what could he do? He has his own mission...he uses the phone to get to the office of the prison. Instead of working, Officers Thompson and Fenwick are talking. "So how are the preparations coming along?"

"I think they're taking care of them right now," Officer Thompson looks past to the glass.

"Yeah? Man..." Officer Fenwick runs a hand through his hair. "I'm not looking forward to this..."

"That kind of surprises me, coming from you. I didn't know you thought about such things," Officer Thompson smirks in amusement before he frowns. "By the way, that was me being sarcastic. Just in case you didn't catch that."

"Feh," Officer Fenwick flicks away a toothpick from his mouth. "Two more hours...and then it's time..."

"I guess we should just get back to work..." Officer Thompson sighs.

"Yeh, I guess you're right," Officer Fenwick shrugs, turning back to a card tower that he's building. The crumpled-up memo is back on the blackboard. Officer Thompson puts up another one, sitting back down.

 _The atmosphere sure seems tense...I guess I'll just get back to my own work as well._

 _"I want you to go find out a certain prisoner's work schedule for tomorrow. Yes, the prisoners are given different job details every day. Each prisoner's schedule for the next day is written on a small blackboard in his cell. His prisoner number is D99."_

 _Alrighty, then...How do I get to these cells? I'd better try to get some information here first._

Donnie goes to the Ghost World and goes up to the memo that was thrown away. He makes it fly towards Officer Fenwick, who catches it in his hand again, this time without looking. He turns around, holding it up. "Hey, Thompson. Whatsa matter, you can't even pin up a memo properly? Lemme see this thing..." Officer Thompson turns around to him. "Take Prisoner C38 to the telephone room."

"Yes, he just made a request to use the phone a little while ago."

"You already told me that earlier!"

"Well now I'm telling you again so that your brain can process it."

Officer Fenwick huffs at that. "C38, huh? What did that punk do, anyway?"

"You never heard the story? About the 'Secret Rendezvous' case?"

"Secret who-what?" Officer Fenwick asks in confusion, raising an eyebrow.

"C38 was an underappreciated warthog singer in a band. His group was playing a concert that was being broadcast all over the country live. And right in the middle of their encore, there was a...huge incident."

"A huge incident? What was it, a murder or something?"

"In a way, it was even worse than a murder..." Officer Thompson leans in closer. "Because it had to do with national secrets."

"Huuuh? National secrets? An unpopular rock band...?" He's wondering just how the two mixed.

"The song they were doing was called 'Secret Rendezvous.' But the lyrics C38 was singing were completely different from usual," Officer Thompson elaborates.

"So how is that a huge incident again?" Officer Fenwick asks slowly.

"Because the new lyrics exposed all of the nation's dark, steamy secrets...budget misappropriations, foreign economic strategies, illicit dealings—everything. Even about the Kraang still being alive. He was caught red-handed in the act of leaking national secrets."

"...Seriously?" Officer Fenwick questions after a few seconds.

"The case sent shockwaves throughout the country."

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Officer Fenwick exclaims. Has he really not been paying any attention during his job to the fact that he hasn't heard about this till now? "In the first place...how would a rock singer know any top-secret information?"

"It's a complete mystery."

"What?! Why don't they just ask C38 himself?!" Officer Fenwick demands and for once, he actually looks interested.

"Maybe they did, but they haven't released anything about it. Apparently, it's all a matter of national secrecy..."

Officer Fenwick huffs...then he crumples up the paper and throws it away again. He grins at Officer Thompson's reaction.

"Would you quit throwing my important duty memos away?!" He sits down and turns to his desk. Donnie makes the new memo fall and Officer Fenwick shakes his head, grabbing the paper as he turns around.

"Hey Thompson. Try pinning up your memos a little better next time. Lemme see this...Inspection, Prisoner C74."

"Oh, it's almost time for that. I'd better prepare," Officer Thompson says in realization.

"Prisoner C74, eh? What did that big rhino do, anyway?"

"You don't know? About the 'Metro Police Department Siege' case?"

"Metro who-what?"

Officer Thompson sighs slowly, shaking his head. "Read the news or watch some TV, would ya? C74 barricaded himself into the Metro Police Department and took siege of the place. He even pointed a huge flamethrower at the chief commissioner."

"Why the heck did he do all that?"

"That's what the detectives who surrounded him asked, too: What are your demands?"

"And...?" Officer Fenwick asks expectantly. Donnie had to admit, he's curious about this too. Two mutants that just happened to commit these crimes...he wondered if they're both connected somehow.

"The guy looked confused, thought about it for a while, and said...bring me five servings of curry and rice, on the double!"

"Curry and rice?! That's it?" Officer Fenwick questions with incredibility.

"Unfortunately, no. After he was done eating...he torched the commissioner's office. With the flamethrower. Torched it good. Important documents—and the commissioner's mustache—were destroyed by the flames."

"What the heck did he do all that for?!" Officer Fenwick's mouth opens in shock that he did it anyway.

"Because the curry was too spicy, he said."

"Huh?!"

"It was too spicy, and I just lost it, he said."

"...Seriously?!" Officer Fenwick asks again.

"The case sent shockwaves throughout the country."

Officer Fenwick facepalms. "But again, it doesn't make any sense! In the first place...how did a huge, armed mutant rhino make it all the way in to the commissioner's office alone?"

"It's a complete mystery."

"Will you stop saying that?"

"I will as soon as you start paying attention to your job, Vern," Officer Thompson retorts back.

"What?! Why don't they just ask C74 himself?!"

"Maybe they did, but they haven't released anything about it. Apparently, it's all a matter of national secrecy."

"Ugggh." Officer Fenwick groans, dropping his head. So in retaliation, he crumples up the paper and throws it away again. He chuckles at his partner's reaction.

"I hate you!" He sits down and they go back to work. When he puts up another memo, Donnie makes it fly off again.

"You gotta be kidding me," Officer Fenwick says to himself as the paper lands on his desk this time. He snatches it, turning around. Donnie moves from the paper to the glass of nearly finished wine. "Yo. Thompson. If you wanna talk to me, just say so. This is getting kinda old. Let's see...bring dinner to Prisoner D99."

"The chef is preparing it for him right now."

"Ooh, how fancy," Officer Fenwick waves his hands sarcastically before his expression turns serious. "D99, eh? Even I know about this one."

"Yeah...? Such a sad case...hard for us, too..."

"He shot his wife, father, brother, and sister, didn't he? Right in front of another family member..." Officer Fenwick rubs his chin, frowning. That's at least what the police say, but...he couldn't have possibly done it...right? "It's just awful. Why in the world would he do it?! Why would HE do something like that, of all people...?"

"...The motive, everything—all a complete mystery."

"It's just ridiculous! It doesn't make sense that he would do anything like that!" Officer Fenwick protests and Donnie notes that he seems to know this prisoner very well...

"I don't know the details, but, apparently...this case is a matter of-"

"National secrecy, yeah. I don't get it. None of it makes any sense!" Officer Fenwick slams down his fist on the table.

"You know what kind of prison this is, don't you? It's a special prison built just for these kinds of special cases. That D99...who knows what he's thinking—or hiding—behind that mask of his...?" Officer Thompson shakes his head. He didn't want to believe it either, since he's one of their own, but...there was nothing else to explain it all.

"...I don't like any of it," Officer Fenwick points to his partner, looking frustrated. "I knew I couldn't take my job seriously without it getting to me. Especially when a friend of mine walked through that door."

"So the prisoner I'm looking for, D99, was convicted of murder, huh..." Donnie murmurs to himself. _And he apparently has a mask. Wish I knew what color. I wonder if it's like my purple mask._

Officer Fenwick crumples up the paper yet again and throws it out. This time, he meant to do it. Officer Thompson stands up, growling. "Stop throwing them away!" He sits down and gets back to work as he puts up another memo. Officer Fenwick then has a look of realization.

"It's time."

The door from the telephone room opens as a guard walks in. He stands there as he waits before he hears someone playing guitar. The guard presses a button to let the prisoner in, the one who leaked national secrets during a concert. He is a thin humanoid mutant warthog with a short left tusk, long right tusk and the high-tech parts of his suit fused to his body, but they're not functional. The top half of his high-tech suit is a vest. He also has a purple mohawk. His guitar is purple like his hair. He strums it wildly and Donnie didn't know how good music sounded, but this...this sounded like torture.

The mutant walks up to the phone and stops playing (thankfully), as he sits down in front of the phone. He leaves his guitar to the side. He spins around, grabbing the receiver and putting it to his ear. Officer Fenwick finishes his card castle, but it's missing something. He places his glass of wine at the top, smiling proudly as he looks at it.

"There! It's done!"

 _New info has been added._

Since Donnie was possessing the glass, he moves to the TV above, then to the camera in the phone room, and then to the button. He presses Trick and when the door opens, he quickly goes to the Ghost World so he can get to the right using the door handle. He moves to the guitar and waits for the prisoner to be done. With any luck, they'll lead him to the cells.

The guard closes the door. "So this is the thing that was making that horrible noise a second ago," Donnie murmurs, "I guess it's a way for this warthog to express himself. Sentiments like 'I'm hungry' or 'I'm thirsty,' maybe...something primitive like that, I bet..."

The warthog suddenly looks up and turns back to the phone. "Peace out!" He puts the receiver done and turns to the guard. "Yo, I'm done."

The guard presses the button to open the door. "Alright, C38! Back to your cell!"

"What's up with the letters and number? My name's Bebop! How about givin' me a little space? Too close for comfort is dangerous, dog!"

The guard steps back a little. "A proper distance for a properly-lead life! Now, let's go!"

"Yo! No lectures, man...I walk my own path, my own way, to my own music!" Bebop declares, picking up his guitar and strumming again. Donnie covers his ears in pain as he rocks out ALL the way back to his cell. For some reason, there's drums in his cell, but there's also a toilet, a basketball hoop, one of those blackboards April mentioned, and an amp. There's a lot of mutant prisoners here...how was he gonna know which one is Prisoner D99? Three of them are the ones that the guards talked about, right? And this Bebop is definitely Prisoner C38.

So he finally made it to the cells. Now to actually find Prisoner D99 and check out his work schedule for tomorrow. What could April possibly want with that information? He didn't know. And until she was ready, it wasn't his business. He could respect her not wanting to tell him everything just yet. Some things about her life were private, she is a detective after all...

"Damn!" Bebop exclaims in boredom, "Don't think I can take another second in this stinkin' pit!" He continues playing until he realizes he's alone. "Looks like guard dog is gone." Bebop moves to the right, where he has O and X notes. He takes the O, crumples it up, and throws it into the hoop. He shoots a basket as it lands below in the toilet. He strums his guitar as he walks over.

"All this waitin' is wipin' me out! Hope this one'll finally do it!" He spins his guitar, pushing down the valve. "Go, go, GO!" He continues to rock out and he kneels, strumming a loud and also broken chord.

"Come on, Rocksteady!"

Donnie uncovers his ears. Next time, he needs to get earmuffs. He moves from the guitar, to one of the papers, and to the toilet. He sees something outside the cell and moves to it to see a phone.

"This telephone...it looks like it's an internal line only. It doesn't call outside the prison. So the only places I can go with this telephone are...other phones within the building that I've already possessed." So that means he has to go to the office with those two officers before he can go anywhere else. He travels to an emergency button.

"Hmm...an emergency button. An emergency...in a prison. That's gotta be a pretty bad situation. I'll just give it a little try..."

There's a loud noise that goes off, shocking Bebop. He continues rocking out as he sends an X note this time, a guard walking right past him. He flushes the X note down the drain. "Go, go, GO!" Donnie moves over from the emergency button to inside Bebop's cell. He goes to the O note and watches as Bebop rocks out, clearly not bothered by the emergency button at all. He can't really see what's happening outside, so he just waits. He notices that the drains lead to the cells below. Hm...

"All clear!"

Bebop takes an O note, smushes it, and throws it through the basketball hoop again. He flushes it and the note goes past a prisoner painting. Donnie doesn't get a good look at him as the note is caught in a hook from Prisoner C74's toilet. It's attached to a bell above the toilet, which rings, alerting Rocksteady. Rocksteady is a large humanoid mutant white rhinoceros with his shoulder pads (which assumed a different shape and sprouted a third spike) and the tops of his knuckle dusters melted onto his body. Rocksteady wears a tank top, brown bandoliers, and camouflage pants which somehow appeared on him after his mutation. Donnie must've assumed that he was wearing that before he was hit with that mutagen April mentioned. He'd like to know more about that too... Rocksteady rolls off of his bed and stands up. He turns around and grabs a spoon? He then licks it off and goes over to the toilet. He pulls up the hook and sees the O note.

"Dah, right away, comrade Bebop!" He crumples it up and throws it away so the guards don't see it. He then pulls away the toilet, revealing a hole. He crawls through it and the toilet closes shut behind him.

 _New info has been added._

Donnie goes to the Ghost World and looks down to see Rocksteady making an escape tunnel using the spoon. So, apparently, when Bebop flushes an O note, it tells Rocksteady that he's safe to continue digging the tunnel. And when an X note is flushed, it tells Rocksteady that he needs to hide in the tunnel because of the guards, pretending to be resting. Donnie moves from the toilet to the bell, going to the blackboard.

"So this is one of those little blackboards April mentioned. Let me just give it a little read..." he looks at the handwriting before he remembered something.

 _Tonight...I lost a lot of things—my life, my memory...but there's a certain skill I've apparently lost, too..._

"I can't read! I can see that there's some kind of 'writing' on the blackboard...but I have absolutely no idea what it means!" He starts sweating now. _If I can't read Prisoner D99's work schedule for tomorrow...What do I do now?_

He makes the bell ring, causing Rocksteady to crawl out of the escape tunnel. When Rocksteady stands up, he possesses the spoon. He throws it into a cup near his bunk. Donnie goes to the bunk and then to the lower level phone.

"Same thing here...It looks like this is just an internal phone, too. It doesn't call outside. So the only places I can go with this telephone...are other phones within the building that I've already possessed." He then goes to the last cell in this area...

To see a turtle just like him.

Well, not exactly not like him, he's shorter. He also has green eyes as well as a small, lightning shaped chip cut out of his plastron across his left shoulder. His shell shows distinct battle damage, and the tails of his red mask are tattered and worn. He's wearing a white jacket that has paint stains all over it. He's got the three fingers and toes. Clearly by the description...

This is Prisoner D99. But why does Donnie feel like he knows him? Does he know him? Why didn't April mention this? Is it because she wanted him to find out for himself? So...

How many more are there that look like him?

Prisoner D99 is painting something, but because the canvas isn't facing him, Donnie can't see it. "Hmm..." The prisoner turtle tilts his head at it before continuing to work, humming?

"What a strange cell...and the prisoner inside it...he seems to be...enjoying himself. This is the last cell in this area. So that means that this man humming to himself must be Prisoner D99. According to what the guards said..."

 _"D99, eh? Even I know about this one."_

 _"Yeah...?"_

 _"He shot his wife, father, brother, and sister, didn't he? Right in front of another family member..."_

The turtle flicks his hand back and forth as he paints. "What in the world really happened? Why is April so concerned about this prisoner? And why does he look like me? I don't know the answers, and I guess there's no need for me to know...yet. I have only one objective. And that's to find out what this painter's work schedule is for tomorrow."

 _New info has been added._

From the toilet, Donnie moves to a picture frame. He opens it, and moves up to a newspaper clipping. Unfortunately, he can't read it, but there is a picture of a building. He goes to the lamp above and finally reaches the blackboard.

"So, the work schedule for tomorrow of Prisoner D99...the information April's looking for, should be written on this blackboard. Unfortunately..." He sighs slowly. "I've lost the ability to read..."

 _But here I am, anyway. The least I can do is take a look...Huh? What could this mean?_

"...There's nothing written on the board at all..." Donnie murmurs in shock, as the blackboard has nothing on it for him to read. _I think something was written on the blackboards of the other prisoners...but this board is as clean and blank as the day it was hung there..._

So he has the answer April was looking for. Tomorrow's work schedule for Prisoner D99 is...nothing. Not the information he would've expected, but...would this information mean anything to her? It's not up to him to know or care as it's not his business. That's how he feels at the moment, anyway. Still, he feels that it's kind of odd that there's nothing on it...

"Not being able to read, I was wondering how this was going to turn out...Some things in this world can be 'read' even if one can't read. Prisoner D99's work schedule for tomorrow is blank. I'd better get this important information to April as fast as I can."

He moves from the blackboard, the light, the newspaper clipping, and back to the picture frame. He closes the frame.

"D99! Dinner!" A guard announces and they bring him a whole pizza pie with pepperoni and sausage.

"...Quite a feast tonight, I see," The turtle has a stoic look before he smiles. "Ahh, and I'm absolutely crazy about Antonio's."

The guard stays silent, as this is awkward for him. "It's too bad it's all cold and hard, though...I'd say it's been about two hours since it was cooked, judging from the way it feels," The turtle pokes the pizza. "Ah well...Mikey would've loved it..."

That gets Donnie's attention. He knows Mikey? Was he...one of the owners for that happy little doggie? How'd he get to a happy family like that to...this?

"...D99...?"

"It's Raphael," The turtle grunts in annoyance. "I was one of ya. Remember my freakin' name." Was he guard or a detective?

"Raphael...I know it's kind of pointless to ask now...but just the same, I still want to know. Why did you do it?"

Raphael says nothing for a minute before smiling sadly. "I agree. It's pointless to ask now. My case is colder than this pizza, and has been forgotten by everybody. Myself included."

"Detective Raph..." Huh. Every officer except for Officer Timothy and Detective Raph have been called by last name. Did those two just not have a last name?

"Now, then," Detective Raph snaps at him. "Let me eat in peace, huh? Before it gets too cold to cut."

The guard says nothing and Raph turns his canvas so that he can move it out of the way. It's covered by his body, so no one can see it. He puts it down in front of his bunk. "There's one more thing I've been wondering for a long time."

Raph turns to him. "Yeah, and what's that?"

"Who is the mutant in that painting?"

Raph slowly turns back to the painting. "Oh, this?" He grins smugly. "Well, being in prison like this, you start to forget faces, ya know? So I paint the faces that I don't want to forget. And this is the second last of those faces..." There's a bundle of paintings near the toilet, but Donnie can't see those. He moves the painting so that the guard can see...

A painting of Donnie himself.

"Now, could you leave me alone for a bit? Let a turtle eat in peace!"

"Okay, sure. Sorry to bother you," The guard holds up his hands in defense, leaving the cell. Raph sits down in front of his dinner as Donnie's focused on something else.

"What in the world...? What in the world could this mean...? Why is there a painting of me in this turtle's cell?"

Who exactly is this prisoner? The turtle whose case April is investigating is painting a picture of him in his cell! He has to go see April...fast. And not for her sake.

For his. To solve this 'mystery of himself'...

Raph is eating a pizza slice, not seeming to care that it's still cold. He moves from the picture frame to the toilet and then the phone. "This telephone doesn't connect to the outside. And I've got questions I want to ask April. I've gotta get to a place that has an external line...and fast!" He sees that there's two options: The guard room or the upper row of the cells. He presses guard room and as soon as he's there, the phone rings. Officer Thompson answers it to Garson Grunge, the chief.

"This is headquarters. What's the status over there?"

"Oh, chief! It's you! They're making preparations now. No problems, sir!" Officer Thompson reports.

"How much longer, then?"

"One more hour, sir."

"I see. Carry on, then. Uh, one more thing. Inspector Jones wishes to speak to you." he holds out the receiver to Casey, who walks up to the receiver.

"Evening. Jones here. How you boys doin'?" He winks even though the officer can't see him.

"Inspector Jones! Fine, sir!" Officer Thompson responds quickly, Officer Fenwick turning around.

"You got another little call tonight, didn't you? From my Red?"

Officer Thompon sweats as he doesn't know how Jones got that.

"From April...? Uh, well, yes..."

"Oh no, we're in trouble," Officer Fenwick drags a hand down his face.

"Did my girl have anything...iiinteresting to say?" Casey grins widely.

"Uh, not especially. She hung up almost immediately." Officer Thompson pulls at his collar.

"I seeeee...Next time she gives you a buzz, be sure to let me know riiight away. Thaaat's a good fellow."

"Yes...sir," Officer Thompson says slowly.

"You try to cover it up, and I'm sure you'll regret it very much. Veeery much." Garson rolls his eyes.

"Yes, sir! I'll call you right away, sir! Immediately!" Officer Thompson replies quickly.

"Don't forget. She's a fugitive, after all..."

"Yes, sir."

"Carry on, then. I might 'pop in' a little later," Casey chuckles slightly at his joke.

"Yes, sir! Looking forward to seeing you, sir!" Officer Thompson hangs up before he can get another threat.

 _Trace Complete._

Donnie now has the phone to the chief's office. "Inspector Jones seems to be looking for her, too," Officer Thompson murmurs to his partner. "...Your April, I mean."

"Inspector Jones? What would the Special Investigation Unit want with April?" Officer Fenwick asks in confusion as he's facing Officer Thompson.

"I don't know. I guess something happened that we don't know about."

"Tonight, on all nights." He turns around, looking up at the ceiling as his arms are crossed.

"Inspector Jones must be upset tonight, too," Officer Thompson says in thought. "Weren't he and Prisoner D99—Detective Raphael—good friends?"

"You sure about that?" Officer Fenwick chuckles, sounding bitter. "If they were such good friends...how come Inspector Jones never came to visit him?"

"He's the head of Special Investigation. He's a very busy man."

There's a pause and then Officer Fenwick slams his hands down on the desk. "Wh-What's wrong?" Officer Thompson asks nervously as he's never seen Officer Fenwick like this before.

"Raph was my hero, ya know. I wanted to be a detective because of him. But look at me! Rottin' away in a place like this!" Officer Fenwick squeezes his eyes shut. "And I can't even do anything to help April... What am I doing with my life?!"

"...Th-This new side of you is kind of...endearing..." Officer Fenwick says nothing as he looks at his bruised knuckles. "Anyway, the thing to do is work at fixing what you can, little by little. Like, for example, your house of cards. It collapsed, you know."

Officer Fenwick groans at that and Officer Thompson turns around in his chair. He's interested on what Casey's doing, so he decides to go over there.

"Preparations seem to be going smoothly over at the prison," Garson brings his hands together. He's barefoot as he looks at Casey. "Eh, Inspector Jones?"

Casey looks down in thought. "We were just a little too late...so close, eh, Inspector?"

"...We still have a little time left, Chief. Not much, but some." Casey actually looks serious for the first time that Donnie's seen. "We've had Point X surrounded all night. If he shows up, we nab him, and we can still make it."

"By the way...what's going on with that other case? The junkyard murder? She did it, eh? No question about it?"

Casey pauses at the mention of it. "She's a bad little baby...Disappearing from the scene like that. Wonder where she went off to play?"

"What did he just say...?" Donnie murmurs in confusion. 'She did it.' Did I hear that right?" _I think they were talking about the culprit who killed me...N-No way..._

 _New info has been added._

Donnie goes from the phone to the antenna. He raises it and goes to the alarm, the speaker, and then to the screen. He makes it lower, but he doesn't have anything to operate it...

"I just don't believe it," Garson speaks up, "Why would she do such a thing like that?"

"Fraid Jones doesn't have the answers for ya, Chief. I don't want to believe it any more than you do. And yet..." he holds up a remote control. "After seeing this, maybe we don't have any other choice but to believe, baby..."

"Is that the security camera tape that the investigation just delivered? I can't deny...it's some pretty solid evidence against her..."

"Evidence..." Casey waves the remote and throws it onto the table. "Nothing like it, baby..." Casey jumps into the chair behind him, kicking up his feet. Garson suddenly slams down his fist on the desk.

"Hmph! Why a murder case now, on such an important night?!"

Casey reaches out and grabs the cup of coffee in front of him. He needed it for a night like this. "Tsk, tsk. I think you have that wrong, Chief." He brings up the cup to his lips. "A murder case now, for the very reason that it IS such an important night." He sips the coffee and Donnie looks at the screen he's possessing. He goes to the remote and turns it on. The screen flickers as Donnie stares at it.

The junkyard where he died had a security camera. And it captured the moment of his death perfectly. And what the tape showed him...was the cruelest truth imaginable.

Donnie's at the junkyard, turning around to April. He's holding a bag for some reason. Donnie says something to her and she appears to be shocked by it, shaking her head slowly. Donnie just shrugs and he leans back against the fence. April slowly takes her gun from her coat pocket. Her hand is shaking as she raises it, pointing the gun straight at him. She fires, but misses. She fires again...and kills him. April looks down and drops the gun, with the footage ending there...

He saw himself shot, right before his own eyes. By April. There goes his only lead. He feels like he died all over again...

Two things stick with him, though. April looked so surprised on that tape. What in the world did he tell her? And two, why was April mourning his loss like she DIDN'T shoot him? She looked so sad for him that he was dead...why act like that if she shot him?

Casey sips his coffee. "The truth is the truth, no matter how many times you watch it, Inspector Jones," Garson points out.

"It wasn't Casey Jones who played the tape just now, man," Casey denies. He puts the coffee back on the table.

"Oh, by the way, Inspector Jones. There's something on that tape that troubles me."

"And what's that, Chief? Casey Jones is all ears."

Donnie sincerely hoped that this wouldn't go on forever. "I had a look at all the photos of the crime scene as well, but... the place where the victim was shot and where the body was found is clearly different."

 _Hey, he's right. That is strange. The hitman in black is the one who kicked me downstairs. But I changed his fate, so he should've been out of the picture...but there I am, down on the lower level..._

Casey leans forward, takes the remote, and goes back in his chair. "Jones has the answer to your mystery riiight here, a few minutes after the murder took place." He plays more of the footage. Donnie's body is lying there, but it gets pushed down...by a robot that was in his bag. The robot steps out of the bag, as it's the robot turtle, half Donnie's height, which caused Donnie's body to fall. The footage stops there.

"Is that...a robot turtle?"

"You got it, man. Metalhead messed up our crime scene...and then the little robot culprit vanished into the night."

 _Hmm...It looks like my destiny of being knocked downstairs...is very hard to alter. And Metalhead? How does Inspector Jones know that robot's name?_

A radio message comes in suddenly, getting their attention. "This is Point X. Come in, Chief!" It sounds like that female...the one pictured in Shredder's room. Garson picks up the microphone.

"The Chief here! Did he show up?!"

"Uh, no, sir. Not yet. But-"

"Didn't I tell you to stay off the radio unless it was important?!"

"But this IS important, sir! Somebody else showed up...our rookie detective, April."

Casey sits up at that, standing up. "Whaaat? You see my Red over there, do you?" He steps up to the mic.

"She's on the lam, right...What do you want me to do, Chief?"

"What do you say, Inspector?" Garson looks up at Casey. He slams his hands down on the desk.

"Detective. Get my Red away from Point X! Do it now, Karai! And then hold on to her!"

"Yes, sir. I'll go get her now, sir!" Karai reports.

"What's the meaning of this? Why would April show up at Point X? It took the Special Investigation Unit six months to pinpoint that location!" Garson crosses his arms.

"Don't know, Chief, but I'd say it wasn't a coincidence..." Casey murmurs to himself. "Perhaps-"

Something happens from the car radio as it's going at high speed...and then nothing. The speaker breaks from a crash. "Wh-What happened?! Detective Karai, come in!"

He was expecting an answer, but...there's nothing. "Now what?! What happened this time?!"

"Dammit!" Casey growls, turning to the Chief. "This calls for a telephone call to Point X! Allow me!" He picks up the phone and spins around, putting the receiver to his ear. Garson is tapping his foot nervously.

Donnie goes from the remote to the bottom of the screen. He makes it go up. He then goes to the speaker, then to the alarm, and then to the antenna. He travels to the phone...to see a blind man?

"What are you doing? Get your dumplings over here!" There's someone unconscious on the ground, a blonde girl wearing the shop's uniform with roller skates. Donnie can't tell if she's dead or not.

"Wh-What did you say?!" Casey exclaims in bewilderment.

"Now I finally understand! I finally know what it's like...for our poor hungry customers who have their food deliveries delayed!"

"Excuse me..." Casey says slowly. "But this IS Murakami's, is it not?" That's when Donnie realizes Point X IS Murakami's.

"What?! Aren't I talking to the police?"

"The police...? Did something happen there you need assistance with?" Casey asks and he actually looks concerned.

"Something happen here, you ask! More like there's nothing left here! I have to go!"

What did he mean by that? "Wait! Waaaaait!" But the man hangs up.

"What's going on?!" Garson demands.

"Something, that's what," Casey narrows his eyes. "Something is definitely going on...and that something is far from nothing, that's for sure!" He spins the receiver, putting it down. "Thanks for the cup of joe, Chief. I'll be on my way."

"You going to Point X?" Garson raises an eyebrow as he has the rest of the force going out looking for April or they're already at Point X. And none of them have reported back.

"Point X, eh? Jones will leave that to the boys." Garson's mouth opens in shock. Casey never passed on stuff like this. "There's...someplace else I gotta be..."

"Inspector...your being there isn't going to change anything. Why put yourself through it?" Garson sighs slowly.

"...Jones has a responsibility, and he's gonna see it through to the end. Besides...it's not quiiite over yet."

"Right," Garson grunts in agreement. "That's true. Do what you have to, then."

Casey turns around and goes out through the door, rushing as fast as he can.

Prisoner D99's schedule for tomorrow was blank. It seems like forever ago that he found that out. And now his mind is even blanker than that blackboard was...April-his only lead, and his partner—shot him. What did it all mean? He knew where he had to go to get his answers. Murakami's...the 'Point X' the police have surrounded...and the place where something big just happened. What will April be involved in this time when he finds her there?


	7. Chapter 7

**Angel: Warning, this chapter is VERY long because it gives away major spoilers if I remember correctly. And the chapter from the game is just as long...I think only about five different chapters are extremely long as well. And there is a reason why this is so long, but if I tell you, that's a spoiler XD**

 _10:05 PM_

He just can't get the images he saw at police headquarters out of his head. The person who shot him tonight...was the last person in the world he wanted to believe did it. Now he's here at the place she and him agreed to meet. The restaurant the police were staking out as 'Point X.' But when he got there...

He found the place in ruins.

The blonde waitress he saw before is still on the ground, Murakami standing over here. A car is stuck in the window, having crashed through. Karai is dead as she's leaning over the hood of the car, holding the steering wheel. She must've drove through the window, and that's what might've caused the radio to die. A large sushi bowl prop is on the ground as the whole place is destroyed. April is nowhere to be seen, and neither is Tori, who was supposed to meet her here, for that matter.

Whoa. What in the world happened here?

Murakami is crying over his employee. "Oh, the heavens! What do I do?! If I had known something like this would happen...I would've paid the child more! I would've cooked more sushi for her! I would've sung to her as much as she liked, until she'd had her fill!" He pauses at that last sentence. "Actually, about the singing...she did tell me she'd had her fill a time or two...but still! The singing!" He bawls, covering his eyes.

 _The chef seems to be in quite a panic._

He goes to the Ghost World, but the waitress has no core, so she's safe. Karai, however, is not. _Anyway, at least it doesn't look like the waitress is dead._

He travels from the phone to the tire, pressing Trick and making it roll near the fallen fake sushi bowl. When he goes back to the Ghost World, he sees another core underneath the sushi bowl. It's April...flattened by a heavy sushi bowl...

Honestly, he was expecting this, but not something that extreme. He goes inside her mind to talk to her.

"Look at me! I'm dead! What took you so long?!" She shouts at him, causing him to stare at her for a few seconds in shock.

"Well...that's one way to greet your best friend," He shrugs, though that's probably not how people greet their best friends. "What happened here?"

"Hey, how should I know?" April smiles, hands on her hips. "I'm the victim."

 _Is it just my imagination, or is she getting more and more brazen every time she dies?_

"Oh, that's because I'm a detective. Have to be tough, you know," April smiles a little, shrugging. "Well? And? How did it go? Did you check out tomorrow's work schedule for Prisoner D99?"

"Yeah, just like I promised. But actually, I have a few things I want to ask you about, too..."

"Sure!" April beams widely, "We agreed to 'use each other' after all, right?"

Whether or not she's playing with him or she's oblivious about the other turtle, he didn't know. If she is playing, she's doing a good job at playing dumb.

"Okay, let's swap info, then. On my way here...I stopped by the Chief of Police's office," he starts off slowly.

"Oh, it was just on your way, was it?" She asks casually. Now it was time to confront her.

"And while I was there, I saw who did it. I saw my murderer."

"You saw him?" She leans towards him in interest. "Where? Where is he so I can arrest the bastard? Wait, how'd you see it?"

"Not him. Her...There was a security camera set up there at the junkyard where I got shot. The security tape showed the person who shot me. It...it was you."

 _April shot Donnie and he fell to the ground._

"...No way..." April whispers in disbelief, shaking her head. "You're kidding...right?" She sweats as she backs away slightly.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Detective?" He didn't want to sound harsh, but until he gets some answers...his trust in her is a little diminished.

"It wasn't me..." April covers her mouth in horror. "I didn't shoot you!"

"If I recall, this is what you said about who shot me...'My memory just isn't clear on that part.' So how can you say for sure that it wasn't you?"

"B-Because!" She stammers, not wanting to believe it. "I told you before! You were supposed to give me some information!"

"Information, huh? Maybe that 'information' was the reason you shot me," He smiles a little.

"What...? What do you mean...?" She murmurs in confusion before sighing. "You said you had information on the case I'm looking into. So I would hardly shoot you before I even heard that information." She looks upset.

"I agree," Donnie speaks up and she looks up at him, sensing no anger from him. "That wouldn't make sense. If it WAS before..."

"Huh?"

"But what if it was after you'd already gotten the information from me?"

 _Donnie turned around and said something, April moving away in shock._

"I definitely told you something then."

 _April shook her head slowly._

"And, whatever it was, it really shocked you. What did I tell you?"

April looks in shock at the memory. "I don't remember...I don't know! You've got to believe me, Donnie! After you saved me, I thought I got all of my memories back...but maybe I really didn't..." She starts to hold her hair. "You told me something...? I can't remember that part at all!"

"You got the information you wanted from me, and then you shot me," Donnie says calmly. "Isn't that what happened?"

"No...No! I didn't shoot you!" April shouts in denial. "...Please tell me...What did you tell me that time? What did I learn from you...?"

He decides not to press further as she's in shock. "I'm sorry."

"You...you just wanted to confront your murderer..." She sniffles. She killed Donnie? Why would she do that to him? She's known him for years...

"Just like you said, each prisoner had a little blackboard in his cell. But, the thing is...there wasn't anything written on Prisoner D99's blackboard. It was blank."

"What?" April murmurs in disbelief and Donnie cringes, as he needs to be careful with his words.

"I guess maybe it mean his schedule for tomorrow hasn't been decided yet...?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"B-Blank...?" April stammers, covering her mouth. "BLANK!? Nooooo!"

 _Huh? I didn't think she'd lose it over a blank blackboard._ "Okay, okay, April, calm down. How come you're so upset about an undecided work schedule? I get the feeling that, back when I was alive, I never had much of a schedule to worry about, myself..."

"Do you know...what it means when a prisoner doesn't have a schedule for the next day...?" She asks slowly, gulping.

"Huh? It means something?" Donnie stares at her curiously.

"It doesn't mean 'he doesn't have work to do.' It's more like he can't work! And that's because...he's going to be executed!" She tries not to cry at the thought.

"Executed?!" Donnie exclaims in shock. He may be a ghost with limited memories, but even he knew what that meant...

"Do you know what Prisoner D99's 'crime' was?" April questions, looking down at the ground.

"I think so. They said something about him murdering his wife, father, brother, and sister, right in front of another family member..." Donnie murmurs to himself.

"That's what they say. But it's not true," April frowns deeply. "He would never...Detective Raphael would never do anything like that! And the death penalty hasn't been enforced in this country for a very long time...Not for decades...Even if the prisoner wants it...like in this case..."

 _The prisoner wants it...?!_

"There's definitely something else going on with this case. I just know it," She says in determination. "And I have to find out what! And if his work schedule is blank for tomorrow...I have to do it right now!"

 _So this Prisoner D99...Detective Raphael...He must be connected to me in some way, too._

 _Raph moved from the canvas to show a painting of Donnie._

 _After all...he obviously knows me! And he does look like me..._

"Hey, that's another thing," Donnie points at April. "Why does Raph look so much like me?!"

"...Donnie...I can't tell you...not yet. In time..." She pauses and then she winks at him, causing his mouth to open in shock. What exactly is she doing with him right now? Is she...flirting? No...no, no way...April...April's a human girl and he's a ghost. How would that even work?

"The police were staking this restaurant out tonight," Donnie rubs his chin, changing the subject. "They called it Point X."

"Point X, huh? That's a good name for this place," April grins in amusement.

"That black-suited inspector was surprised to find out you just casually waltzed in here," Donnie informs her.

"Casey...?" She murmurs, slightly confused.

"What in the world made you pick this place, anyway?" Donnie asks skeptically. It's a little weird that April showed up in the same place where the police were staking out. She IS still a suspect after all...wasn't she worried that the police might arrest her again?

"I guess I'd have to say...because of you," April looks at him.

"Me? Huh?" Donnie's mouth opens in surprise.

 _April pulled out the note from Donnie's pocket._

"Do you remember that note I found?"

"Yeah, I remember." _The note I didn't get a chance to read..._

"It had a place and a time written on it. Murakami's, 10 o clock. In other words..."

 _...I was supposed to meet somebody here tonight...?_

"Yup, apparently so," April grins at him. "I just had to get that information you were going to give me. That's why I came here. It was the only lead I had left."

"And this 'here' is Point X. So that must mean..." _The mark the police were waiting for was...me..._

April looks upset as she doesn't speak for a few seconds. "...So...what are you going to do now...? I mean, you fulfilled your goal, right? You found out who shot you..." She's scared that since his question was answered, he'll leave her to die...for the fourth time...

Donnie says nothing. He actually didn't know now. "Are you going to get revenge? That would be easy enough to do. All you have to do is not save me."

Is this the ending he was hoping for? Had he unraveled all the 'mysteries of himself?' Donnie smiles at her gently. "What am I going to do now? I'm going to save you, that's what."

"You are?" April asks in confusion as she's shedding tears now. Donnie reaches out and wipes away her tears gently with his thumb.

"I want to know everything. Who I was, why I was killed..." _Shredder and that Kraang thing were standing in their lair. And I'd like to know who those guys are too._ "I want answers, and I'm gonna find them. But to do that, I'm gonna need your help," He smiles at her fondly.

April looks at him in shock and surprised. Inside, she felt touched that Donnie still wanted to help her...despite knowing the truth... "Okay. I won't say 'thank you.' Not yet. And I won't say 'I'm sorry' either. But I'll help see to it that you get your answers."

"Good," Donnie grins at her for her cooperation. "Now, I think it's time to go back to the past. I can't leave you lying flattened under a huge bowl of sushi forever, after all..."

April groans at that.

And so they go back in time to prevent April's fourth death.

 _10:00 PM Murakami's. 4 minutes before death._

April's sitting at a table alone, with a bell on the table. She's reading the menu. "The note said Murakami's, 10 o'clock...I wonder who Donnie was going to meet here?" She looks at the specials.

"What's this?" She murmurs before she puts it back down. The blonde waitress skates up to the elevator with some sushi ready. She goes through the elevator and when she reaches the second floor, she gives the sushi to a suspicious duo at the bar. One of them is tall and muscular, looking like a mutant wolf. His partner is a mutant fish with robotic legs.

"Here you go!" The waitress drops the food between them and leaves with the cart. She goes back to the lower level, skating away to the kitchen.

"Where's my pizza gyoza?" April mutters, looking up at the big bowl sushi prop. "Can I eat that thing?"

Donnie holds in a laugh, April swatting him on the arm.

She sits in place until some lights approach. April looks up to see the car approaching and she rushes into action, pushing the waitress away from the window. She stumbles and falls as April flips back, landing underneath the sushi. The car crashes through the window, causing the big mess Donnie saw. April stands up, but she doesn't notice the sushi bowl cracking. The chains slowly break off until they fall, crushing her.

"You're just going bigger and better with each new death, aren't you?" Donnie grins with a teasing look.

"Leave me alone. Can I help it if I got tired of dying the usual ways?"

"You shouldn't be dying at all!" Donnie exclaims as they both laugh. "But I'll say this. It was a death any detective could be proud of."

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

Did she not just watch the same footage he saw?

"The way you saved somebody else before dying yourself," He smiles at her for her heroic act.

"Oh, that waitress?" April rubs her neck sheepishly and is that a blush he's seeing on her face? "The one with the sushi bowl on her head?"

"The next time you put a bowl on YOUR head, you should try one about the size of the waitress's," He points to her playfully.

"Shut up," She smacks it away just as playfully. "I'll make a note of that for next time," She grins with a wink.

"There shouldn't be a next time..." Donnie shakes his head. "You don't ever deserve to die, April. You have so much to live for, you know?"

She smiles at his compliment, playing with her coat shyly. "But, anyway...if you hadn't tried to save that waitress, you'd still be alive."

"I couldn't help it!" April beams sheepishly. "You know, the detective thing and all. I wasn't able to save poor Karai, though..." She frowns a little. Donnie wonders if the two are close.

 _At that speed, she must've died instantly._ "Well, we can't let a heroic detective like you stay dead," He places a hand on April's shoulder. _The root of this whole disaster is clear. The only question is, how do I stop it?_

"Okay! Let's get started!" April agrees, ready to go. Together, they go to save April's life...again. He really hoped this would be the last time April dies tonight.

April was on the floor when she died, so that's where he is this time. He moves from the floor, to the sign, and to the bell. He makes it ring, April looking around in confusion. The blonde waitress skates up to her, skidding to a stop in front of the table. She bows politely to April. Hey, it was her duty to make the customer feel welcome.

"You rang?"

"Huh...? Oh, sorry. I didn't ring the bell," April shakes her head.

"Oh, okay...I get it. This was a little dig, wasn't it? Kind of like 'Hey, where's my food,' right?" She accuses, but April smiles at her like it was nothing.

"No, not at all! Besides, I didn't ring it."

"Oh, okay. That's all right, then," The waitress huffs, hands on her hips. "But the chef is the one who makes the food. No sense in harassing me about it, right? Just keep that in mind, kay?" She turns around and skates away.

"Odd girl," April comments to herself once the woman is gone.

"I agree," Donnie adds in.

"Me too," April agrees and Donnie rings the bell again three times. The waitress comes back, this time with a pitcher full of water. She bows again, even though she didn't want to. Donnie moves from the bell to the pitcher.

"You want MORE water?" The waitress asks pointedly.

"Huh...?" April is confused yet again. "Oh, sorry. I didn't ring the bell. And what's with the 'MORE' water bit?"

"Oh, well. Come on. This is your third glass," The woman points out. "...Oh, okay...I get it. This was a little dig, isn't it? Kind of like, Hey, where's my food, right?"

"No, not at all! Besides, I didn't ring it. But I would like to see you bringing me my pizza gyoza, though," April smiles at her so that she's not being rude.

"Duly noted. In the meantime, enjoy a nice glass of water." She skates off to the elevator, sliding to a stop again. She places the pitcher down and since Donnie's now on the right, he changes from the water to the car that the waitress is holding. The elevator doors open and the waitress skates in.

She gets to the second floor and brings the mutant duo they saw before their food. Donnie moves from the cart to the suitcase that the two have for some reason.

"Here ya go!" The waitress gives them their sushi platter, waiting for the elevator and leaving.

"So what do you think, my dear friend?" The fish smirks at his partner. "Do you really think we can trust this deal?"

"Who knows? It's not our job to think about that," The bearded man shrugs.

"Do you know who they are?" Donnie leans in closer to April, whispering.

"Rahzar and Fishface. They work for Shredder," April narrows her eyes.

"Rahzar? Fishface?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"Some names that Mikey picked out," April waves it off. "We didn't know their real names, so Mikey pointed his paw to some."

"But those incidents DID happen in this country, just as he predicted," Rahzar speaks up.

"Yes, and they were pretty amusing, too, weren't they?" His friend leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "That idiota who sang out national secrets during a live TV broadcast..."

"And the man who laid siege to the Metro Police Department, taking the top dog hostage..."

"But what if he double-crosses us? It wouldn't be pretty," He spins a butterfly knife in his hand.

"No, no. He needs this deal too. And we've accepted all his conditions as well."

"Yes, and thank to that, we have to be here on this extra little assignment...But as long as I'm paired up with a tightwad like you, wolfman, I don't mind." Rahzar glares at him for the insult.

"How do these two...?" April murmurs to herself. "How do they know about the cases at the Special Prison?"

"Special Prison...?" Is that the place where Donnie met Detective Raph? Why's it called that?

"The warthog who sang national secrets...the rhino who held siege to Metro Police...those cases are classified information," April explains to him.

"Hmm...I've heard about both of those cases...and recently, too."

"The perpetrators in those cases are being held at a special facility. That's what the Special Prison is. But it's not known about by the general public," April states as she looks at the two.

"So Prisoner D99—Detective Raph—is one of these 'special cases' too, huh?"

April says nothing to his question, meaning that subject was still sensitive. _Those two are talking about the very same cases I heard about just tonight. That couldn't be just coincidence, could it?_

 _New info has been added._

Rahzar suddenly looks around, looking very skeptically of their surroundings, despite the place being nearly empty. "Hmm."

"What is it, wolfman? Another one of your fans? Oh, wait, you don't have any," His partner starts whittling something from a piece of wood.

"Why don't we move to a different spot?" He suggests, turning around and seeing a table at the other side of the floor. "That table in the back looks good."

"Now you're talking, you smelly wolf! Just what I've been waiting for. A quiet, secluded spot where I can poke fun at you some more...I wouldn't object to that." Rahzar slams his fist on his head and he rubs it.

"All of a sudden, I get this feeling somebody is eavesdropping...My sixth sense is very strong, you know, sushi."

Fishface looks around as he doesn't sense anything. "That's alright, my friend. You don't have to make excuses...off we go, across the bridge of poultry, to the land of mockery!"

Rahzar rolls his eyes as he stands up, walking as Fishface holds up their food. Rahzar's large feet click as they make it to the table, taking their seats.

"What just happened? Did he sense we were here?" April blinks slowly, as that's new.

"What, with his 'sixth sense?' Ha ha," Donnie says sarcastically. "Everyone knows that you can't sense ghosts. Not unless someone like me has saved someone already, and him? It's just impossible."

April pauses, smiling to herself. That sounded like the old Donnie just now... "But, you know, I have some pretty amazing powers, myself..."

"Yeah? Like what?" Donnie grins at her.

"Like...Like if there's pizza gyoza nearby, I can tell right away!" She stammers and she facepalms herself. Why did she just say that?

"April, that's called a sense of smell," Donnie chuckles. _But, anyway, at least the situation has changed a little bit now._

 _Fate Changed._

Since he's still possessing the suitcase, he needs to get it to the other side to listen to their conversation. Something about those two didn't sit right... He travels from the suitcase, to the glass, to the drink dispenser, and to the bell. He rings it once, surprising the bartender. The waitress skates out of the kitchen and gets to the upper level. She leans closer to the bartender, hand on her hip as she bats her eyelashes.

"You rang? Oh...I get it. You started to get lonely! And so you decided to call me. Aww, how sweet." She's had a little crush on the bartender ever since she started working here.

"Forgive me...but I didn't ring for anybody."

"What?" She asks in sadness.

"Now, could you not stand in my light, please? I can't see my glass properly."

"I've been working here for two days, and I've been waiting this whole time for you to notice me!" She glares at him, clenching her fists. "Now, would you stop trying to shake me up, and just stick to shaking cocktails?!"

And with that, she turns to the elevator, looking dejected as she leaves the bar.

"She has a surprisingly short career with this place..." April notes. Donnie makes the bell ring again and the waitress leans towards the bartender again, looking hopeful. This time, however, Donnie moves from the bell and to the dispenser. He makes it fill up the cup and it falls over, landing on the chair before it breaks into pieces on the ground. The waitress looks down at it.

"Oh! You just broke that glass! Just like you did my heart..."

"A broken glass can never be put back the way it was. Just leave it there," The bartender dismisses.

"You can't just leave it! Somebody might get hurt!" April exclaims in defense. The waitress then notices the suitcase.

"Doesn't this trunk belong to those two friends over there?"

"The only things we allow customers to lose here are their cares. Miss, please go and let them know about the trunk, if you would."

"How gallant of you! I just might fall for you, you know." Donnie and April glance at each other, looking away with a blush. The conversation felt a little awkward listening to.

 _New info has been added._

The waitress skates to the two at the other table to inform them. "Odd girl," The bartender comments to himself.

"I agree," Donnie nods.

"Me too," April agrees.

They wait as Fishface comes back to get the suitcase, grumbling to himself. Donnie then moves to the suitcase as the waitress stands in front of the open elevator doors. "Well, goodbye! I've been working here for two days, and I've had my eye on you the whole time! I think this might be my last night working here, though. It's been fun!"

The doors close, Donnie and April blinking at her. "I guess she's leaving this place with her surprisingly short career intact!" April says in slight shock. Fishface grabs the suitcase.

"Of all the things to forget! It wouldn't have been pretty if I forgot this..." he then drags the suitcase ALL the way back to his table. He drops it in front of the table, between the two.

"Here we are, finally!" April exclaims. She swore that it took at least 2 minutes.

"I feel kind of bad about eavesdropping, though," Donnie replies and she turns to him.

"Not me! Donnie, you were a ninja! They're all about stealth."

"Really?" He asks in interest and she nods. "Huh...cool!"

"Plus, we did deliver their lost trunk to them, after all. They owe us at least that much," She huffs, crossing her arms.

 _Never thought I'd hear that from a detective._

 _Fate Changed._

"I can't believe I forgot the trunk, of all things!" Fishface facepalms himself.

"With such a small body, you probably only have a small brain to match," Rahzar smirks at him.

"Ouch, that hurts, wolf! But that's okay...that's what I hate about you," Fishface winks at him.

"THAT'S what he hates about him?" April asks in disbelief. "You'd think it's because how much he looks like a werewolf..."

"I don't get it, either," Donnie shakes his head. About everything she said, not just the first part.

"Now, where were we...? Oh, right! Who to invite to your dunk tank...IF we had a carnival, that is."

Rahzar gives a blank look before he looks around. "We can talk about that when we're alone."

"Hmm? But aren't we alone now?"

"Huh? Do you think he senses our presence again?!" April sweats a little.

"I spy a ladybug," Rahzar looks at their food.

"A ladybug...?" Fishface looks down at their sushi bowl to see a tiny red ladybug facing Rook.

"I just HATE little bugs..." He pulls out a lighter and burns the ladybug. Five seconds later, April sees the van coming and pushes the waitress out of the way like last time, jumping away. The van crashes through the window again.

"What?! After all that trouble, it happened anyway?!" April exclaims in anger.

"I-It looks that way, yes..." Donnie stammers nervously. Being the receiving end of a woman's anger was never good. "It's not over yet, though."

"It's not? What are you talking about?" April tilts her head at him.

"You're not dead yet," Donnie points to the April that's still underneath the sushi bowl.

"N-No, but I'm going to be, in just a few seconds!" She's wondering just what Donnie's plan is here. They look up at the two mysterious partners that are hiding underneath the table.

 _But before that happens, maybe there's something we can do from here!_

 _Time till Death: 3_

He moves to the light and does a Trick to swing it. This gets him close enough to get to a chopstick from the sushi bowl. He moves to it and the bowl swings to the right.

 _Time till Death: 0_

He moves from the chopstick, to the alarm, and to the dead body of Karai. Like before with April and Mikey, there's a blue flame.

"Hello...?" Looks like she's unconscious.

"Excuse me, Karai! Could you wake up for a second, please?" April calls out.

 _Pushy as ever, this detective._ "One thing I've learned..." Donnie speaks up, rubbing his chin. "Is that the newly-dead stay unconscious for a little while at first."

"Huh?" April turns to him in confusion.

"I was like that, and you were like that, too."

"Oh, yeah..." April thinks about it when he explained how he saved her life the first time. "I guess you're right."

"Anyway, if we restart the flow of time now...you'll die," Donnie tells her gravely.

"Yeah, I know," April sighs a little before Donnie gets an idea.

"Why don't we try going back even further in time?"

"Wh-What? Even further...? But how?" She looks shocked as she didn't think that was possible.

"Simple. We go back four minutes before the death of this poor Karai here," Donnie explains, holding up a finger.

"You can do that?!" April asks in bewilderment.

Donnie shrugs slowly, uncertain. "I never tried it before, so I don't know how it'll go. But if we can erase Karai's death...that should erase your death, too." The way Donnie sees it, they both died around the same time. So if Karai never crashes the van, then the bowl doesn't fall on April. Preventing two deaths in one go. He never thought it was even possible.

"Oh, wow!" April says in awe at his reasoning.

 _I can't think of any other way. Let's try it!_

He slowly presses rewind time, and it feels like they're flying even further back as this was the first time...and it works! Donnie and April's mouths open in shock as they're watching the video of how Karai died. They smile at each other for their success before they watch.

 _9:59 PM Heart of Darkness Park. 4 minutes before death._

Karai is keeping lookout at Point X from the park, using her binoculars to do so. She looks surprised, looking down from her binoculars. She's not sure if she just imagined what she's seeing. "That's April, our rookie detective...What's she doing at Point X? Could it be...just a coincidence?" She shakes her head. "And we just got an APB on her a little while ago. Something about...an extremely important case's extremely important witness, currently extremely on the run...there's gotta be a better name for that. Now what? Should I report this to Inspector Jones...?"

She doesn't want to lose April's trust as April looks up to her. But it was her duty to report it...She walks over to the radio in her open trunk, throwing the binoculars into the back seat of her black van. She leans in to use the radio.

"They told us to stay off the radio unless it was an emergency...but I think I'd better call this in. Poor April...I wonder what she did this time?" Karai rolls her eyes playfully. "Inspector Jones is pretty protective when it comes to April, so he'd want to know."

Suddenly, the pay phone rings nearby and she walks over to answer it. "What's the matter?" She listens to the person on the phone for a few seconds. "Alright, fine." She hangs up and goes back to the van, to continue with her report on April.

"This is Point X."

She rolls her eyes at the Chief berating her. "Yes, sir. I'll go get her." She closes the trunk and heads off towards the restaurant. She's wearing headphones over her ears. She adjusts it as she's trying to listen to something.

"The static is awful..." She turns the knob from her police radio as she's driving.

"I can't believe I forgot the trunk, of all places!" That's...

"With such a small body, you probably only have a small brain to match." And that's...

"Ouch, that hurts, wolf! But that's okay...that's what I hate about you."

"What the heck is this?" Karai asks in disgust.

"I spy a ladybug."

"A ladybug...?"

"I just HATE little bugs..."

Suddenly, Karai gets nothing and the static goes out. "I can't hear very well..." When she tries to adjust it, loud feedback rings in her ears, knocking her unconscious. And since she was driving, the car crashes through the window, with the waitress being saved by April.

"Wow...the van driver was a detective..." April murmurs and Donnie thought she already knew her. But then again, since this was April's fourth death, she might've lost her memory on that part. They did just go back in time twice.

"It looks like it...I noticed something, though." Donnie rubs his chin. "That conversation she was listening to just before the crash...I remember hearing it before."

"You're right. We just heard it a few minutes ago, didn't we?" April asks in thought.

 _Just after the conversation, the detective, Karai, suddenly passed out. What happened, I wonder?_

"We already know the answer!" April places her hands on her hips confidently. "We saw what happened at the restaurant."

 _Rahzar burned out the ladybug with his lighter._ "He burned up the 'ladybug'...sometimes, when a high-tech bug like that is destroyed, it emits a loud signal. Loud enough to knock a person out if they were listening to it through headphones..."

"So that's why Karai passed out, huh?" Donnie murmurs to himself.

"Bingo. Now let's stop it from happening!" April beams and Donnie nods at her.

They go forward in time and because Karai went through the windshield, that's their starting point. Donnie moves from there to the driver's seat. Karai's looking through her binoculars like last time and sees April.

"What the...?" She then mentions about April having the APB like last time

"Wow...so they put out an APB on me..." She murmurs in disbelief.

"Apparently, they're calling you a fugitive," Donnie tells her. April groans at the fact that her own people are calling her a suspect. "You naughty girl, you."

April says nothing, sniffling. "I-I'm sorry," He stammers, waving his hand. "I didn't mean to make you upset..."

"A girl's heart is a very delicate thing, you know!" She exclaims in defense.

 _This from the girl a giant sushi bowl couldn't even kill..._

"It DID kill me!" April puts her hands on her hips. He decides to shut up as Karai moves to the trunk of her car. She throws the binoculars onto the back seat. He does a trick on the recliner seat to move it down. The binoculars fall onto the headboard and Donnie does another trick so that the binoculars are now resting on the driver's seat. He needs to get Karai's attention so he moves to the siren at the front and turns it on.

Karai stops what she's doing and walks over, Donnie moving to the binoculars. She opens the door and switches off the siren, seeing the binoculars. "What are these doing here?" The phone then rings and they're taken to the left side as Karai answers it. "What's the matter?"

Donnie moves from the binoculars to the phone...to see the waitress from Murakami's! "Detective Karai? This is Lily!"

"What's the matter? It's not time for your regular report," Karai furrows her eyebrows.

"Listen to this! There's a suspicious couple in the bar upstairs! I'm going to put a 'ladybug' on them," She explains, looking up as Murakami is cooking.

"A 'ladybug'...? You mean a listening device?" Karai asks slowly, hand on her hip. "Don't do anything to blow our cover. Inspector Jones will be furious...actually, that would be a good thing."

"But they're doing all kinds of suspicious whispering! We have to find out what they're saying!" Lily insists, "You can pick up the signal from your van. Check out their conversation for me, would ya? Please? Pleeeeeease? Come on, you know that my besties Ann and Jamie are still in the police academy!"

"How are you a detective again?" Karai rolls her eyes. "Alright, fine. Once you get going on something, I know there's no stopping you..."

"Thanks. Later, then!" Lily tells her and Karai remembers something.

"Hold on. Did you see a customer come in just now? A young woman with red hair and red boots?" Karai looks behind to her lookout point.

"Oh, yeah. That restless, suspicious chick. Sure," Lily shrugs nonchalantly.

"Suspicious?" Karai asks in confusion. "Suspicious how?"

"I mean, come on. As soon as she sat down, she ordered three glasses of water in a row. And she spilled the second glass on the table. Who does that?" She scoffs, shaking her head.

"Okay, fine. Keep your eye on her, too, if you would."

"You got it!" Lily winks and April is shocked.

"Oh, wow. That waitress...is an undercover agent! ...Huh, she's pretty good."

"And she apparently thought you were pretty suspicious, too," Donnie smirks at her.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry!" April rubs her neck sheepishly. "I was...really thirsty from the trip, so...you know. Ha ha."

 _Um, no, I don't know._

"Anyway, did you hear what I heard? About the 'listening device?' We have to do something about that bug!"

 _So should we stay here, or follow up on the waitress...?_ "Looks like it's time to make a decision." Let's see...if he stays where Karai is, she and April will eventually die...he can't do anything about the listening device from Karai's car, so it's off to Murakami's kitchen.

When they get there, Murakami is cooking up a storm, but the room is smoky.

 _Trace Complete._

Lily skates up to the table. There's switches at both sides, so that they can switch plates. Murakami places down a sushi bowl for the two. "Hey, look where we are!" April exclaims in excitement. She's never seen Murakami cook before, and she loved his gyoza, so this is satisfying for her.

"The heart of Murakami's, eh?"

"Yup. Or, as most people say, the kitchen."

"I hope the key to preventing that accident is here somewhere," Donnie takes in his surroundings.

"Oh, I bet it will be! You know what they say...Where there's smoke and sushi, there's fire!" April holds up a finger.

 _Hmm. Now that you mention it, it IS pretty smoky in here..._

 _Fate Changed._

Donnie moves to a t-shirt that's hanging above the phone. He does a trick on it to make it move towards the cabinet. He moves to the pot, then the teapot, then to the hat that's on Murakami's head. Murakami turns around and drops some ingredients on the pan for pizza gyoza. He sautés them and flips them in the air. While his back is turned, Lily plants the bug in the sushi bowl. Murakami spins the ingredients in the air again, dropping the pan before he lets them fall back in the cooking tool. Lily places her hands on her hips, proud of her work.

Donnie moves from the hat, to the t-shirt, and to the handle near the phone. "It's smoky in here," Lily looks around and pulls the switch. The smoke in the air airs out as the fans spin around. Murakami fills the dumplings and when Lily's back is turned, Donnie flips the switch again. He moves back to Murakami's hat.

Murakami flips the dumplings in the air and his hat opens, bending down to the switch behind him. Donnie travels to it and Murakami bends down to the dumplings, pouring a sauce that makes the dumplings hot and ready. He plants the dumplings and a bowl of soup behind him. The smoke comes back from the heat of the cooking.

"It's smoky in here," When she turns around, Donnie presses the switch, switching the orders. Lily pulls up the switch, turning on the fans. "There! All set!" She pulls the cart towards her and puts down the pizza gyoza without looking. She hums as she skates away.

"There! How about that!" Donnie exclaims proudly as the ladybug is still in the kitchen.

"The 'ladybug' is still sitting on the table! We did it!" April cheers and they both hug each other happily. Donnie spins April around and his eyes widen, both of them staring at each other in the eye. Donnie puts her down gently as they both blush.

Murakami starts singing as he cooks. As Karai is driving, instead of the conversation, she hears the singing. "What the heck is this?" She murmurs as she continues driving.

 _Fate Averted!_

"Well, it looks like you've escaped the fate of being hammered by your horrible fish!" Donnie grins at her, but April has a serious look.

"Yes, but I still haven't escaped the worst darkness of this terrible night..." She murmurs as she's still a suspect...and she's a target...and Raph is being executed... "I...I shot you, didn't I...?" She frowns sadly at what Donnie told her.

"There must've been some sort of complicated set of circumstances that made you do it..."

"It's never okay to shoot a person, no matter what the circumstances! Especially that person is your best friend...the one who understood you...the one who always comforted you...who was always there for you..."

"Hey...isn't that my line?" Donnie smirks in amusement. April looks at him in surprise before she smirks too. "But, anyway...you were investigating a case. And I was supposed to give you information on that case. Maybe it's time you told me about it...Tell me about the case you're looking into."

"Yes..." April sighs slowly. "I guess I should...but let's go back to the new present first."

"Okay, sure," Donnie agrees with a sympathetic smile.

With both deaths erased, Donnie returns to the new present. Back in that new present, the delicious aroma of dumplings fills the air. But he's still thinking about April. He wonders if she's still waiting for her food to be served?

He decides to go see her. See her and ask her the questions that are still consuming him...

When Murakami lowers his hat to finish the next order, Donnie moves to it and travels all the way to the phone. He heads to the dining area, where everything is back to normal. No car through the window, no dead people, and no unconscious waitress. The disastrous accident has been completely 'erased.' Once again, he's saved the redheaded detective from death. Saved April...

The 'criminal' who stole his life.

One question in particular hangs heavy on his mind. Why did she shoot him? Until he knows the answer, he'll never be satisfied.

Glancing at the last table, he sees April with a mountain of dumplings. She's throwing them into her mouth as Karai is sitting across from her, having arrived a little while ago.

Meanwhile, April's appetite is apparently foremost in her mind. A mountain of dumplings sits on the table in front of her. Until she eats the whole thing, she'll probably never be satisfied.

Donnie travels from the phone to the phone book below, then to the bell at the nearest table. Donnie rings the bell three times and when Lily comes by with the pitcher, he moves to it. Lily slides to a stop to April and Karai's table.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here, Detective Karai! Come to see me, did you? Aww, that's so sweet!" Lily grins at the woman.

"Oh, hi, Lily. Don't mind us. Just pretend we're not here," Karai waves it off.

"Why don't you try some pizza gyoza while you're here?"

"No, thanks. Just watching April eat is quite enough for me," Karai glances at the redhead, who's not even close to half-done with her meal.

"So...?" Lily asks in excitement. "How did it turn out? With my 'ladybug'?!"

"Oh, that listening device? Well, let's see...I thought the gentleman had a very nice singing voice," Karai shrugs slowly, Lily furrowing an eyebrow in confusion. "Sorry, but we're in the middle of an important talk. Could you leave us to it?"

"No, stay right there!" April demands, Lily sweating.

"H-Huh?"

"I'm at the crucial moment with these dumplings here. I'll need you to pour me some water if it starts going down wrong!"

"April, you don't have to risk your life over pizza gyoza, you know," Karai shakes her head.

"She's right, sheesh," Donnie rolls his eyes, smiling a little. That's his April...wait, what? N-Never mind that. _Anyway, I'd better move now while I have the chance._

But when he goes to the Ghost World...

Karai has no core.

"Hmm, that's funny..." He murmurs as he sees nothing from her. "Even though I just saved her, she doesn't have a core. Not like the one April has, or that valiant little doggie, Mikey. I thought the ones I save are supposed to develop a core when they're alive again. I guess I still have things to learn about these powers of the dead..."

He moves to the bell. "Well, I'm heading back. Lots of things to do, you know!" Lily grins widely.

"Yeah, like washing dishes, and planting bugs..." Karai replies sarcastically.

"Someday, I'll plant a big one on YOU, detective!" Lily shouts, turning around and skating away.

"Odd girl," Karai mutters, placing a hand on her cheek.

"I agree," April says, stopping her eating for just a minute.

"Me too," Donnie nods and Karai stares at April...and not just because of her excessing eating.

"Listen, April...You've explained your side, and I understand. But there's an APB out on you," Karai lays it down simply. "Can't you at least hurry up and get outta here...? You know, slip away quietly?"

"No can do," April denies stubbornly. "I'm meeting somebody here."

 _Meeting somebody...oh, yeah. That's right. The little lady, Tori._

"But why do you have to meet somebody HERE?" Karai sighs slowly, rubbing a temple. "The Special Investigation Unit is watching this restaurant. Now, how can that be a coincidence?"

"I dunno, but it IS a coincidence," April beams, putting down one of her dumplings.

"...Hey, is it true what they say? That you're..." Karai pauses, biting her lip. "Still looking into Detective Raphael's case on your own?"

April says nothing, continuing to eat. "Casey's worried about you, you know. I understand how you feel, but...Just don't do anything crazy, okay?"

April throws more dumplings into her mouth and Karai sighs again, shaking her head. Donnie moves to talk to April. "So, how are those dumplings you've been waiting so long for?"

"They're great!" April beams happily. "But, you know...with Detective Karai—that's her name, by the way—sitting right across from me...I mean, she was just dead a few moments ago, right? That's kind of taking the edge off of my appetite."

 _Oh, brother..._

"But she's a great person. She understands my situation, she said. She's going to give me a pass, just for tonight. She...she's Shredder's daughter."

"...His daughter? He had a child?" Donnie asks, repulsed at the idea. He sincerely hoped that he'd never have to hear that again.

"Yeah, but...she didn't approve of his methods...so she switched to our side. She's great at her job, and she loves it," April shrugs a little, smiling.

"Speaking of Detective Karai, I noticed something strange. She doesn't have a core now," Donnie speaks up, rubbing his chin.

"She doesn't?" April asks, confused. Weren't people he saved supposed to have one?

"I thought a core was supposed to show up once I saved somebody."

"Hmm...I wonder if...? When you possessed her corpse, she was unconscious, right?"

"Unconscious? Yeah...she was, wasn't she? Just like you. You were unconscious the first time I saved you, too. And after I saved you, you didn't have a core either."

"So..." April says slowly. "For people who are unconscious when you save them, no core shows up. I think that's probably what it is."

"You might be right. Okay, I'll leave Karai to you, then. But I've still got lots of questions for you."

April frowns a little. "Yeah, I thought you would..."

"Let's get started, then. What is your connection to Prisoner D99...Detective Raphael? He seems like more than just a co-worker. And why does he look like me?"

"Yes, I suppose you have the right to know. Detective Raph is my hero," April tells him seriously.

"Hero, huh? You don't hear that word much anymore."

"Not just him...he and his family...which includes you, in fact."

"M-Me?" Donnie stammers nervously, scratching his neck. A hero? To April?

"Well, it's an old-fashioned, heroic kind of story. It happened ten years ago."

 _"Now, just calm down! And drop that weapon!"_

 _"S-Stay back! If you come any closer...I'll shoot her!"_

"On that day, ten years ago, I was playing in my favorite park. And then, suddenly, somebody grabbed my arm from behind. I was so scared...I thought I was going to die. And then...they appeared. Detectives Leonardo, Raphael, Amelia...and Donatello."

"I was a detective too?!"

April nods in confirmation. "And then there was this really loud sound...I think it was the sound of a gun. I passed out. When I came to..."

 _"You're alright now. Are you hurt?"_

 _"Y-You...saved me?"_

 _"We were just doing our jobs."_

 _"The gods...they're the ones who saved you."_

 _"What's your jobs?"_

 _"Us? We're police detectives."_

"So that's why you became a detective, huh?" Donnie smiles a little that he helped save April back then...

"That's right. They, and you, were my ideal of what detectives were all about."

 _But an ideal detective doesn't shoot and kill their wife, father, brother, and sister..._

"Exactly."

Donnie turns to her in surprise.

"And that's why I want to prove that he didn't. Donnie...Raph and Leo...are your brothers. And Amy...is your sister."

"W...What? T-That's why he looks so much like me? I...had brothers and a sister? Wow...w-wait, so tell me about them. Please," he begs and she smiles a little.

"Leo...he was the oldest. Strong, brave, mature...sometimes a little childish with his favorite show," April chuckles at the thought. "But still very aspiring and someone to look up to. Raph...was the anger. Daring, hot-headed, and cocky. Don't quote me on this, but he's always ready for a fight. Which is why he's always handling interrogations with suspects..." April shakes her head. "He was the second-oldest. And Amy...Amy was very sweet, very curious and ready to learn. She is...was the youngest out of all of us...my female best friend. She's actually your sister-in-law. She and Leo fell in love after he saw her at a Space Heroes convention...love at first sight," She smiles sadly. "I was the maid of honor at their wedding..."

Donnie places a hand on her shoulder. He couldn't believe it...he had a family... "...And I was the third oldest?"

She nods slowly. "Yeah...we happened to see each other again at a diner a few years later after you saved me. You convinced me to attend the police academy and you introduced me to your family properly after I graduated school. You were the brains of the group. You were always inventing things for the force..." She grins a little. "You took in this stealth robot called Metalhead...we use it in your memory...The last time anyone saw you, you were undercover as an ally of Fishface and Rahzar. It was to get intel on their 'deal' with you. And you finally had something...that's why you wanted to meet at the junkyard."

 _So I wasn't evil...I was just pretending to be as an insider..._ "...April...what happened to them? My family? Did Raph...really shoot them?"

"...I don't know what happened with Raph...there's not much information...you'll have to go the source yourself if he's willing to talk. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Yup, he's definitely gonna see Raph again...the only one left...

"Detective Karai works for the Special Investigation Unit," April rubs her chin. "She said an important deal is set to go down here tonight at this restaurant. A deal that could affect the future of our nation."

 _A nation isn't something that's easily influenced, though..._

"But that's what she said. Anyway, it's that duo at the table upstairs...You said they're foreigners. They're waiting for the other party in this deal to show up now." April rubs her neck. She keeps forgetting that Donnie doesn't have his memory on that.

 _Those two, huh? They certainly are an odd pair..._

"So, the other party they're waiting for is me, huh?" Donnie sighs a little.

"It's kind of hard to imagine, isn't it?" April hums slightly in amusement. "Nobody really knew any of the details of the deal, except for you and one other person...Mr. Breezy Dancer in a Black Suit. They say he's been watching the movements of those two for a long time, to make sure that everything went smoothly with you. I've never seen him work so frantically on an investigation before...or work at all," April gives a blank look.

"Inspector Jones, eh? Apparently, you're a real favorite of his."

"A favorite? Yes, well, there's a reason for that," April rolls her eyes.

"And what's that?"

"Inspector Jones, you, and your family were good friends," April smiles at the memories.

"Yeah, I think I remember the prison guard saying something about that."

"You and them joined the detective division the very same day. They're all different types, but Raph and Casey were the ones that were always in friendly competition. You were the brains, Raph was the bad cop, Leo was the good cop, and Amy was more of the evidence-analyzing type. Raph, though, was always very particular about thorough investigation of the crime scene, more than Leo. And Casey...well...I guess he just has a natural genius for investigating...when he's not being just as cocky as Raph. Anyway, you five lead the detective division in those days. But Casey is different now. He changed a little."

"Wow...!" Donnie murmurs in awe of how amazing it all sounded. "But he changed?"

"Ever since the...Raph incident," April puts in air quotes at the last two words. "Now he distances himself from fieldwork. And he's starting to focus on nothing but moving up the ladder..."

"Hmm. And so that's how he became head of the Special Investigation Unit, I take it."

"Anyway, Casey took me under his wing."

"Because you were the little girl his good friends had saved, huh?" Donnie grins and she smiles.

"He really looked out for me. Helping me study for my detective's exam...fudging my exam scores for me..."

"Uh, that goes a little beyond the scope of looking out for you." _Inspector Jones, eh...? I wonder what role he plays in everything that's happening tonight?_

"It sure is taking Tori long enough..." April frowns in worry. "She should've been here by now. I'm getting really worried."

"You two are like sisters, aren't you? That's what Tori said," Donnie smiles softly.

"Yup," April nods, smiling back. "That just about sums it up."

"It doesn't look like being worried affected your appetite much, though."

"Hey, the bigger the crisis, the more a girl's gotta eat. I have to make sure Tori stays safe, no matter what. Tori...and that music box, too."

"Music box...? Oh, yeah. That wooden box."

 _Tori took the box from the tree, jumping up in the air happily._

"That box was a present from Raph."

"From Raph?" Donnie asks.

"Yes, it was five years ago. That box arrived three days after that murder incident. He must've sent it just before he was arrested. 'Someday, when the case is over and everything is settled...I want you to give this to a certain person,' he said." And now that his execution is tonight, the case of him killing his family is going to be over soon, one way or another.

"So what's inside?" Donnie wonders curiously.

"I don't know. I can't open it," April pouts a little.

"Hmm. That's a shame."

"Donnie, I...Did I really shoot you?!" She covers her mouth in horror.

"Where did that come from, out of the blue?!" He's so surprised, he backs away a little.

"I really don't remember," She confesses, looking down at her hands. "I've tried and tried, but I just can't. Now I finally understand how you must feel. And how hard it is to have your memory gone, your story erased..."

"But who knows? Knowing the truth might be even harder..."

"I'd rather believe there's hope, myself." Donnie looks at her in surprise and he nods, both of them grinning.

"April...I'm not angry that you shot me. Really...I'm just glad...to have a friend like you. My best friend..."

"...Thank you," April smiles gratefully. "It'll be hard to forget, but...I needed that..."

Back in real time, April has finished all those dumplings, wiping her mouth with a napkin. She falls back in her chair, rubbing her tummy. "That was great!"

Karai says nothing as she stares at her, biting her lip nervously and looking away. "Do I have pizza sauce on my face? You're staring."

She stays silent and April smiles. "I bet you're thinking about how impressed you are with the way I took care of those dumplings!"

"Just tell me one thing," Karai starts off. "This case you say you're looking into...is it Detective Raphael's?"

Now April's the one who's silent, but only for a few seconds. "What if it was?"

"I...I can't keep it from you. It's too cruel..." Karai, for once, actually looks remorseful.

"Huh? Wh-What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, April...It's...It's tonight...Detective Raphael's...you know. It's tonight. His execution," She closes her eyes. She didn't like Raph, but having him dead...it's just not right...

"...But there's still time. I looked into it, and I found all the executions in this country...are carried out at dawn," April says, but Karai shakes her head.

"That may be the norm, but...not this time, I'm afraid."

"What?!" April looks up at her.

"The execution is set for eleven pm."

"What did you say?!" April stands up, hands on the table.

"It's going to happen pretty soon."

April slams her hands down in anger. "Isn't there anything we can do to stop it?"

"Of course not. It's too late now. Not without a stay of execution from the justice minister."

April pauses for a minute. "I'm going to go see him."

"What...? See who?!"

"Who else? The justice minister!" April says like it was obvious.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Karai narrows her eyes. "There's not enough time!"

"I'm going anyway! Donnie!"

"Me?" Donnie points to himself and Karai looks confused.

"Get to the prison! Stop that execution!"

"Easy enough for you to say," Donnie tells her simply.

"Detective Karai, I'll be going now," April informs and Karai thought she was crazy to do this, but she can't stop her stubbornness.

"Okay, I'll let you go this time. I'll tell 'em I was distracted because I was eating pizza gyoza. Is there anything else I can do?" She could handle Jones and the Chief's nagging.

"Could you find Tori? She's supposed to be here!"

"Oh, your little Tori? Okay, you got it. I'll look for her." Karai gives her a thumbs up.

"Okay, you know what to do, Donnie! You have to save Detective Raph!" April clenches her fists and runs off to the justice minister.

The life of yet another person he's connected to somehow is about to end tonight. Could it be a coincidence? Or is there something more behind it all?

Detective Raphael is destined to be executed tonight. He doesn't know if that fate is the wrong one for him or the right one. But he's decided to go to the prison anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

_10:55 PM_

He went to try and rescue Prisoner D99. Even under ordinary circumstances, that prison has a strange atmosphere...But, this time, there's something even stranger about it.

An execution...with his memory gone, he doesn't have a clear image of what that is in his head. But even he can sense the strong feeling of foreboding that hangs in the air.

Maybe he's too late...?

When he arrives, the lights are out and there's music playing as Officer Thompson is...dancing? Officer Fenwick is sitting at his desk. "So! How is it going?! With the generator! In the basement?!" Officer Thompson calls out over the music and dancing. He's flopping around with his hands and feet.

"They're trying to fix it now. It's gonna take a while, they said," Officer Fenwick reports to him. "They haven't even gotten the internal phones there back up yet."

"I just hope! The rowdies! Don't rush the guard room!" Officer Thompson says.

"Uh, we don't have any 'rowdies' here," Officer Fenwick points out. "And, what's more...the one who committed the most atrocious crime isn't even here anymore at all..." He wipes his mouth as he's sweating. He's trying to compose himself.

"You promised! Not to talk! About that!" He puts his hand on his hip, wiggling his hand as he backs away.

"Look, would ya knock it off with that weird flipping and flopping around?" Officer Fenwick asks in annoyance. "I can't stand lookin' at it. If you don't stop, I just might hafta pound ya."

"This?! This is a glorious dance! That's been passed down! In my family for generations! When you don't know! What else to do! Dance, dance, dance! We call it the Panic Dance!"

Officer Fenwick shakes his head slowly at him before the phone rings. He spins around and answers it, turning back around to his partner.

"This is Special Detention, calling from the death chamber. The internal phone is finally back up. It's pitch-black down here, though, until they get the generator going again. How's it going up there?"

"Oh, the phone's been ringing off the hook from headquarters," Officer Fenwick sighs tiredly, rubbing a temple.

"Oh, boy. We can't let the existence of this prison become known to the outside world. We'll have to round up the prisoners somehow...is Thompson dancing?"

Officer Fenwick moves away at the receiver as Officer Thompson continues his Panic Dance. "Yup. You should see him."

"Take a video of it. We can all watch together when we're done."

"Ha ha!" Officer Fenwick laughs at the thought. "Once the generator is back up, I'll record it with the security camera!" He stifles his laughing so that Officer Thompson doesn't hear him. And with that settled, he hangs up.

Donnie does a trick on the phone so that he can use the internal line. He heads over to the Special Detention, where it's just as dark as the guard room. But in the Ghost World, he can see perfectly fine. It seems that the world can handle anything. He takes a look around, but he can't see everything. "I guess darkness doesn't really exist in the Ghost World. Even without light, I can still see what's going on. I can use the Ghost World to help me find that generator."

He moves from a switch to another room, where a guard is looking around for something. "Where's that wrench...?" Donnie heads to a leaking puddle from the ceiling. He waits for a drop to fall, and when he does, he goes to the toolbox on his left. He makes it open, and something falls from it near the wrench. The guard looks down and picks it up. "Oh, hey, there it is."

He walks up to the generator, adjusting it and wiping the sweat off his forehead. "There! Done!" The generator starts up and the lights flicker until there's power. All the cells are locked down, with no one in them. They either escaped or were caught, but that doesn't mean Raph did.

Donnie moves to the bucket on the floor, going to the yellow sphere from the spinning generator. He rides it to the ceiling and when he gets to the top, he moves to the puddle from the ceiling. He travels to the power supply.

"This appears to be some kind of control panel. I might able to operate it...I'll give it a try," He presses trick and some lights turn on. Not from just the generator, but the electric chair too. "Some lamps came on. Not sure what that means..."

 _Maybe that changed the situation, though._

He goes left to the lever where the two guards are and listens in on their conversation. One of them tosses something away behind his back. "Hey...do you think this execution was really the right thing to do...?"

"Wh-What the heck are you saying?!" The other guard stammers as if he's on trial.

"I mean, I know this country has the death penalty...but how many years has it been since we used this chair?"

"Yeah, I dunno. It had quite a bit of dust and dirt on it...I bet that's what happened. All that debris damaged the wiring..."

"Well, I think it was divine retribution."

"D-Don't be stupid! The prisoner wanted to be executed, you know!" They look past the room behind them...as Raphael lays there, dead.

"R-Raphael..." Donnie stammers sadly. "I...I was too late..." He tries not to cry as his own brother is lying on that table...He may not have spoken to him yet, but he already felt a strong bond with the turtle...

"So when are they gonna pick up his body?"

"They'll be sending over a car from the public cemetery pretty soon. After we hand over the body and clean up the mortuary, we're done."

"Yeah, okay."

Donnie could only stay silent as the guards continue their work. He waits until the guard with the wrench touches the chair. This causes him to be shocked and he's sent flying backwards near the switch. Donnie moves to the wrench.

"I just got a shock!" The guard shakes his head rapidly and he goes back to his work. Two raindrops fall from the ceiling and Donnie travels to them before moving up to reach the head piece from the electric chair. He makes it fall off and it falls in front of the left guard.

"Son of a...!" He throws the head piece into a cart of debris. Donnie moves to the wheel and makes it move. The cart tilts to the left, the head piece moving as well. Now Donnie's close enough to get into the other room. He moves from the wheel, the head piece, and the phone.

"Same thing here..." Donnie sighs slowly. "It looks like this is just an internal phone, too. It doesn't call outside. So the only places I can go with this telephone are other phones within the building." He moves to the flower vase and then to Raph.

He enters his brother's mind...it felt so weird and yet so right to think that. "Hey, can you hear me?" He asks gently and there's nothing for a few seconds.

"Where...the shell...am I...?"

"This is the Ghost World, the land of the dead, Raphael," Donnie explains simply.

"Raphael...? Who is that...? Is that me...?"

"Oh, boy. Not you, too?" _This is getting old._ "Guess I'll just give the usual explanation: The dead lose their memories."

"Oh...so I'm...dead, am I?" Raph asks slowly. "I didn't realize that."

"That's why you can't remember anything right now," Donnie shrugs sheepishly.

"That's fine with me."

"Huh?" Donnie does a double take. Raph sounded pretty serious when he stated that.

"I don't like a messy room. But I hate cleaning up even more. Not having my memories is a welcome thing. Now I don't have as much trash ta take out." Donnie's now just noticing the Brooklyn accent, something he doesn't have. Are they really related?

 _Memories are like trash...?_

"Now that I'm dead, what do I need with memories? And things I don't need are just trash!" Raph states without a care.

"Not to me. I need your memories! Besides..." Donnie smiles a little. "I promised April I'd try to stop your execution."

"April...?" There's a pause. "Hmm. It looks like I still have a few bits and pieces of garbage left lying around." He then takes his true form as Detective Raphael. "About April...Raph...and the execution..." Raph then examines Donnie and his eyes widen. This...couldn't be really Donnie, right? He had heard about Donnie's passing from another prisoner...Donnie was supposed to be dead, not here...! "About what about you?" Raph demands, grabbing Donnie's arm and bringing him closer. Donnie looks at him in slight fear.

"H-Hey!"

"Who are you? Why do ya look like my brother?!" Raph grits his teeth. This had to be a sick joke, right?

"I AM your brother! But...I'm looking for my memory...or 'trash,' as you call it." Donnie insists, Raph staring at him in the eye. "It is me...I swear."

"...Sorry," Raph releases him. "...You lost your memory, huh? You don't remember anything else?"

"April's told me stories, but other than that...no. I don't remember much 'trash' right now. But I guess you'll find out who I really am when you get your memory back. But, for now, I'd like you to come back with me...back to four minutes before your execution."

"...Alright. I'll go with ya. Only because I don't have much of a choice," Raph grunts and Donnie grins at his cooperation. Reluctant, but still cooperation at best. For Raph...having no memories...he can't just ignore that. And he can't just let Donnie walk around with no memory of himself. He wasn't sure if Donnie was telling the truth, but right now, he just has to believe what he says.

They go back in time to Raph's cell.

 _10:46 PM Special Prison Cell Block. 4 minutes before death._

"This...is the past?" Raph looks around, confused by what just happened. "Four minutes before my death...? You can do that?"

"That's right. You'll get to see your own execution," Donnie nods in confirmation. "And then we're gonna change your fate," He smiles a little.

"But first, can I ask ya a question? April told you, didn't she? About what I did?"

Donnie frowns at remembering the crime. "Yeah...she did."

"...Then is it really the right thing to do, to save a guy like me?" Raph stares at Donnie with such pain that he could feel how much he wanted to die.

"...I don't know," Donnie swallows, "But April believes it is." Even though he doesn't remember Raph right now...he was his family. Donnie didn't even know he had a family until just recently. He wants to know more about him, his past. Not only did April ask him to save Raph, but...he wants to do it. He doesn't want his brother to die, even though he committed a crime. But...as aloof as Raph is, Donnie didn't really think that he committed all those murders. After all...they were his sisters-in-law, father, and brother too...

Raph says nothing as he didn't know that Donnie felt that attached already. With the way he believes April and would do this for her...it had to be Donnie...right?

"Okay, let's get started."

They watch as Raph finishes the rest of his pizza, a bib covering part of his plastron. Suddenly an alarm goes off and Bebop plays his guitar all the way to the tonight. He picks up an X note to warn Rocksteady to come back. He crumples it, but when he flushes it, the paper gets stuck in the hook.

"It's clogged!" He kicks at it to make it work, the alarm stopping as a guard comes in. He walks up to the phone, making a call as he doesn't pay any attention to Bebop.

"I'm in position." He hangs up and Raph takes off the napkin, rubbing his plastron at his last meal. He wipes off the crumbs with his napkin and goes to throw it away, but the trash can is full. He walks over to the toilet and flushes down the paper. A distant bell is heard from the next cell and another alarm goes off.

Two more guards appear, leading the way as they stand in front of another prisoner's cell, a mutant spider. "So the time's finally here, huh?"

"Yeah. Wonder how many years it's been? The last time...you weren't even here yet."

"I never thought I'd have to attend an execution. But, you know...I wonder why the justice minister suddenly signed the order? There's definitely something up with that!"

"Hey, come on! Let's just focus on our work."

"Yeah, alright..."

They continue walking, descending down the stairs to Raph's cell. "Prisoner D99! It's time! L-Let's go!"

Raph stands up, looking at them. "Alright, men. I'm ready. Sorry you have ta go through this unpleasant experience," Raph smirks at the stammering.

"Wh-What?! No, we, uh..."

"Oh well," Raph shrugs slowly. "I guess it's all about collecting experiences...for you and for me."

He's escorted to the death chamber, where the electric chair that would take his life awaits. A guard looks at his watch, giving a signal. "Prepare to test! Throw the switch!"

The switch is pulled, but the wires from the chair start sparking. Then it shakes before there's a huge explosion that only damages the chair AND kills only Raph as his body is electrocuted and then he lays there...not moving.

"So this is an execution, huh?" Donnie wonders, rubbing his chin. He's never seen one done before. "It seems to me there's gotta be a safer way to do it..."

Raph stifles a laugh. Ah, he remembered the old Donnie doing something like that. Even though he was smart, he'd be oblivious to simple advice or procedures. "Ha ha ha! It must be nice to have no memory like that. It makes things more interesting. I envy you. I really do."

Donnie's mouth falls open at Raph's reaction, especially since he just saw his own death. Wouldn't he feel upset? Apparently not. _It's no laughing matter to me._

"That was an example of a failed execution...although the outcome was the same," Raph grins a little.

"Failed...?" Donnie asks in utter confusion.

"They haven't carried out an execution in a long time," Raph actually sounds serious for once. "They dragged out that old chair out from under some disgusting mothballs, and I guess it had a short." So he was killed before the actual execution...not that the guards cared. That short must've been what also caused the blackout from earlier.

 _So I guess that means that if I can stop the explosion..._

"Ha! Good luck with that," Raph puts his hands behind his head casually. "Then I'd just be executed as planned, and I'd still wind up just as dead."

"...So what should I do?" Donnie asks as he feels stuck. He can't exactly prevent an explosion like that...or stop it at last minute like he did with April and her third death. Somehow, he has to do the explosion before anyone else is in the room so that Raph's execution won't be continued, like he promised April.

"Beats me," Raph shrugs as he leans back and relaxes. "You're the one who came to save me. You figure it out."

He's not making this easy. Maybe...maybe it's because he feels so guilty that he doesn't wanna live? Or at least, that's how it looks like to Donnie. Raph is really being complex and unhelpful here...just what happened with him?

They go forward in time to the death chamber, because that's where Raph's body was. Donnie moves from the table, to the vase of flowers of red roses (irony), and to the phone. The guard takes the call from Officer Thompson. "H-how is it going down there?!" Even he's just as nervous.

"We just finished setting up the chair. We're all prepared."

"I-I see!" Officer Thompson stammers, as he didn't want this to happen. Think of what April would say if she found out they're doing it early...he can't have that.

"It's time. Please bring in the prisoner."

"B-B-But that chair!" Officer Thompon pulls at his collar. "It hasn't been used in a long time! Wh-What if...?" He's trying to talk the officer out of it.

"Thompson..." The officer says slowly as he recognizes the strategy. "There's nothing we can do now. It's time."

"...Alright. I'll send the guards to his cell. I'll have them call when they into position," Officer Thompson replies reluctantly. Donnie can't go there, because he wouldn't be able to do much. Officer Thompson hangs up and he waits for the second call. It comes a few seconds later and the guard answers it.

"I'm in position. The other two are coming to bring the prisoner."

"Got it!"

Donnie goes across the phone line to reach the cells. Bebop is still trying to make the toilet work. Donnie travels to the toilet inside Bebop's cell, moving to the paper. He does a trick on it to loosen it. Bebop looks down and nods.

"Alriiight! My sweet jam grooved out the clog! Now get down there to Rocksteady! Yeehee!" He spins his guitar, flushing the paper down the toilet. "Go go GO!" The paper goes down the drain all the way down to the hook. The bell rings and Rocksteady slips out of the escape tunnel, throwing the spoon into his cup. He pulls out the hook and crumples it up.

"Time for 'sleepy sleep'!" He throws away the paper, pushing the toilet back into place. He turns around and lays down on his bunk.

"In the present world, four minutes into the future...Rocksteady was lying passed out in the tunnel," Donnie thinks as he remembers seeing the large rhino body from above the death chamber.

"Not knowing about the execution, he must've kept digging and digging."

 _And the guards didn't notice he was gone...?_

"So I guess Rocksteady's future...has now changed a bit," Raph points out.

 _Fate Changed._

Donnie moves from the trash can, to the toilet, and then to the bell. He rings it and Rocksteady immediately gets up. He grabs his spoon, licking it and walking over. Donnie moves to his spoon and Rocksteady pulls up the hook only to get nothing.

"Comrade Bebop is very disrespectful..." Rocksteady yawns as he throws the hook back into the pipes. He throws his spoon back where it was and Donnie quickly moves over to Raph's cell. He moves from the toilet to the picture frame. He opens it and moves all the way to the trash can. Raph finishes his meal, smacking his lip. He takes off the napkin and holds it over the trashcan. Donnie does a trick on the trash can to make the can on top hit the napkin, making an O note, like the ones Bebop uses. Donnie then moves to the napkin.

Raph goes to throw away the napkin, but like last time, finds the trashcan full. "This thing is as full as I am," Raph shakes his head and flushes the napkin down the drain. It reaches Rocksteady's cell, causing the bell to ring. Rocksteady groans as he stands up, wanting to sleep. "I make comrade Bebop go squishies next time I see him," He mutters, walking over to the toilet. He pulls out the hook to get the O note, and Donnie moves to the spoon.

"Da! I let you live, comrade Bebop!" He throws it out and pulls back the toilet. As soon as he does that, the alarm goes off to escort Raph to the electric chair! Rocksteady crawls into the escape tunnel and when Donnie gets close enough, he moves into the generator room. He quickly moves all the way to the lever and pulls it. The electric chair explodes without anyone in the room, Donnie sighing in relief. Suddenly there's a click as the power goes out.

"Wh-What just happened?!"

"The power's down throughout the whole facility!"

"N-No way! I-If the power's down, that means...all the cell bars open automatically!"

"Dammit! The internal phones aren't working, either! State of emergency!"

"Now the execution can't be carried out, and your life is saved," Donnie grins at Raph, who looks surprised. Hopefully in a good way.

 _Fate Averted!_

"You're a pretty daring guy..." Raph murmurs slowly, making Donnie gulp. "You really are Donnie, aren't ya!" He hugs Donnie, who looks surprised. Raph did not seem like the hugging type. But then again...Donnie's the only thing he's got close to a family right now... "I really enjoyed myself. And I think I learned a thing or two, as well!"

 _About what?_ "By the way, is it true what the guard said? The cell bars open automatically?"

"Yup, it's true," Raph confirms, shaking his head as he pulls back from Donnie. "Sorry...It's a little drawback ta the system...If the entire facility blacks out, the locks are released, for the prisoners' safety." He then gives a little grin. "But nobody thought it would actually ever happen..."

 _So, in other words, now's the time to escape if you're gonna..._ "Anyway, we managed to stop the execution. Let's get back to the present. Oh, and Raph?"

"Hm?"

Donnie smiles a little. "You don't need to apologize for hugging me."

Raph pauses before he grunts. "Yeah, well, as you noticed, I ain't the hugging type, so don't think that you can be smug over a little hug."

"Okay then," Donnie smiles in amusement. "You're still not out of the woods yet...for both getting out and for what you just said."

Raph looks at him in shock, keeping a stoic face. "Oh, let me give you one piece of advice."

"What's that?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"When we get back to the present, head for the spoon," Raph winks at him with a grin.

"Spoon? What?" Donnie is needless to say, utterly confused. What was that supposed to mean? Was that a detective code or something? He should've asked April about this!

"You'll see when we get back, Don."

"Huh?" Donnie stares at him.

"What?"

"You've never given me a nickname before..."

"...Well...I still don't understand how ya got those cool powers of yours...but I know my brother when I see him. And...you're definitely Donnie. So...thanks for making me feel...not so alone. My entire family was gone...until ya showed up. Even though you're a ghost now...I really feel like I'm talking to ya as if you're still alive..."

Donnie grins softly at Raph's trust and his confession. He didn't feel as empty as he did earlier not knowing anything. But that he knows some information...his life sounded pretty awesome.

And so he goes back to the present. Now the execution can't be carried out, and Detective Raph is safe for the moment. A new 'present' has been born. However...

Raph isn't still safe from, he didn't know, _execution!_ He guesses he still has a job to do: Help a death-row inmate escape from prison...

Oh, and said inmate is his brother.

Just how did it come to this?


	9. Chapter 9

_11:13 PM_

Now he's back in the present, and it's completely shrouded in darkness. He can't see it, but he can feel the tension in the air. It's a state of emergency.

And that's only natural. With the power failure, all of the cell bars opened automatically. Plus, now a death-row inmate is loose in the darkness.

He did what he promised April. He stopped the execution. But that condemned criminal is now in just as much danger as before.

Oh, did he mention that this criminal is also his brother?

He's at the switch since that's where he was last. He remembers the escape tunnel just above and moves all the way up to the spoon that Rocksteady's holding. He's fallen asleep.

"Raph told me to head for the spoon when I got back to the present...so here I am," Donnie murmurs and suddenly, a note is sent, ringing off the bell. But Donnie knew that Bebop didn't send it, because none of the prisoners are in their cells. So how did that note end up there?

Nevertheless, Rocksteady wakes up. "The bell! Better go back!" He crawls out of the tunnel and exits into his cell. He throws away the spoon and Donnie is sent back to the cup.

"Whew! I'm back." _Thank goodness someone flushed his toilet. That was good timing, but how did they know to flush a paper?_ "Now to use the cover of darkness to help my detective brother escape! Wow, I feel like a ninja. I wonder if we had training? But first I have to find him..."

When Rocksteady pulls out the paper, he's confused to see it blank. A guard dressed like a paintball player steps up to him, seeing the mutant. He's carrying a rifle and is wearing some strange goggles on his face.

"It's Prisoner C74! Secure the prisoner!"

Rocksteady is suddenly tackled by other guards. "Hmm. It looks like there are hunters in this darkness," Donnie rubs his chin. He honestly didn't know where that man came from. _I hope they haven't found Raphael yet..._

No! He can't doubt Raph! He's not the type to back down...at least, from a guard, anyway...well, technically, he did...okay, he wouldn't back down in general. Donnie didn't know him THAT well yet and unfortunately, no memories come to mind when he thinks of the turtle.

He moves from the bunk all the way into Raph's room. He can tell it's his because of the picture frame and drawings on the wall. A red light is coming from inside the cell.

"Huh? What's that red light?"

It's actually another guard as he's keeping an eye out for any prisoners. "Hmm. It looks like the hunters' eyes glow red."

He walks right past the table...only to pass right by Raph, who's hiding underneath his bunk. Luckily, he's shorter, so they won't be able to see him from there. The 'hunter' turns around.

"It doesn't look like escape is going to be easy..." Donnie opens the picture frame and moves from the vase, to the bunk, and to Raph's mind.

"Ah, there ya are! I was wondering what I was gonna do."

"Wait...so you're the one who made the toilet bell ring?" Donnie asks in shock.

"That's right. I still had another napkin lyin' around."

"Thanks to that, I managed to make it here," Donnie gives a grateful smile. "But how did you know to do that?"

"I learned a few things about your ghost tricks during our time together," Raph crosses his arms. "They certainly can be very useful powers, but, at times, not so much. I knew that if the internal phones weren't working, ya'd be trapped in the death chamber area. So I quickly came with an...alternative route. A weird one, but a route that made use of ol' Rocksteady's spoon and my napkin."

 _Wow. This detective is good. He already knows how I operate? And with no hints?_

"Next time you wanna compliment me, go ahead and say it out loud, Don," Raph smirks and Donnie chuckles sheepishly, rubbing his neck. He keeps forgetting that there's no secrets here...

"...Anyway, it looks like it's time for a strategy meeting."

"An escape strategy, huh? This could be interesting. Let's do it!" Raph grins a little. "So, let's make sure we're both clear. The key to my escape is this darkness. Once the basement power supply is restored, escape will be impossible."

"So, we move under cover of darkness, huh? I know I won't have much trouble with that...speaking about that, did we have ninja training?"

"...Yeah..." Raph says slowly and Donnie decides not to press it further. He looked uncomfortable by that answer, he wondered why. "But I won't be able to see. My stealth training is a little off from the time I've been here. You'll have ta be my eyes, Don."

"Lead the way?" Donnie asks nervously as he doesn't usually do that for someone else.

"Once ya find a safe spot for me to move to, I want ya to give me a signal," Raph explains.

"Okay, fine, but how?" Donnie questions, remembering what he learned from Ryan and Lia. "The dead don't have voices. Even if they did, we have to be quiet."

"Don't ya worry about that. I have an idea. Let's just try it and ya'll see how it works," Raph winks at him. Donnie gives an amused smile.

 _He likes to just dive right into things, even more than April does._

"If they find me, I imagine they'll shoot first and ask questions later. I ain't gonna lie, that's exactly what I would do if I still worked in the force. But if I die again, we can just start over, right?"

 _...He says cheerfully._

"I don't know if ya know it or not, but this is a 'special prison'...There aren't any dangerous criminals here...except for me, that is," Raph has a wicked grin at the thought of being dangerous.

"Yes, I did hear something about it being a 'special' place..." Donnie says as he's heard it from multiple people.

"Yes, and because of the 'special' status, they're not prepared at all for emergencies. They have four timid security guards, at most. I would take 'em down myself, but I ain't going down that way by chumps."

"I think I saw some hunters lurking in the darkness, though..." Donnie murmurs and Raph snorts.

"Don, those are the guards. They're wearing night vision goggles," Raph says simply.

"Night vision goggles?" Having lost his memory, he doesn't know what those are.

"They're special glasses that let you see in the dark. Very handy...too bad I don't have one," Raph shrugs at the disadvantage. "If I enter their field of vision, it's all over." That's going to make it really hard for Raph to escape.

 _So it's all about staying out of the guards' line of sight. Ah, like real ninjas. This is gonna be entertaining._

"Make sure you guide me to safe spots!" Raph reminds him. "You're definitely no amateur. You may be my brother, but I'm not getting caught because ya messed up!"

"Okay," Donnie chuckles in amusement. "Easy, Raph. We can do this."

"Yeah, I know. Now, about that signal I want you to give me," Raph turns serious.

"Oh, yeah. How am I supposed to do it?" Donnie asks as he can't physically be there.

"I've already been dead once. I don't know if it's because of that, or what, but...I can sense your powers now."

"Y-You what?" Donnie questions in awe as he's never had anyone who died have that. Not even April, and she's been dead four times tonight!

"For example, you're in the bunk right now, aren't you?"

Donnie's mouth opens as he's correct. "Wow, I'm impressed. I guess you have a sixth sense."

"Geez, ya even sound like the old Don," Raph grins as this is just what he needed to hear from his brother. Even though he didn't like all the science talk, he was so glad to hear that from Donnie again. After all those years... "I think it's more like a detective's sense."

 _Uh, that doesn't sound right, somehow._

"Anyway, the details don't matter," Raph waves it off. "Do you see an icon with my face on it here?"

Donnie looks up to see Raph's face as a button. "Yeah. Wait, where did that come from?"

"Let's use it as our signal," Raph suggests.

"How will that work?" Donnie wonders as he doesn't know where Raph's going with this.

"If you touch that, I'll sense it. Then I'll move to where ya are. So, for example..." Raph jerks his head at the spoon that's in the next cell. "If you move to that spoon and touch the icon...I'll run ta the spoon. Simple, right?"

"Alright, fine," Donnie agrees as he's inclined to believe. "Let's start our escape plan!"

"Just make sure you guide me to safe spots, Don!"

"I get it," Donnie says, a little annoyed. Raph grins and holds out his hand. Donnie looks up at it, getting a sense of déjà vu...He high-threes his brother and Donnie decides that he needs to get Raph to Rocksteady's bunk. The only exit is up the stairs and all the way down the hall, but he'll be seen there. So he needs to find a different way to get to that exit.

Donnie moves to the vase, and then to the picture frame. He closes it and moves to Rocksteady's bunk. He looks to make sure that the guard down this floor has his back turned. He does and Donnie presses the button. To his shock, Raph moves quickly to Rocksteady's bunk, hiding underneath that one.

Now he just needs to get him closer to the stairs. He moves to the spoon and sees the red light, meaning a guard is in the cell. He then moves to the vest of the guard in front of Raph and he turns around, walking all the way to the toilet bell. Donnie rings it, getting the guard's attention. Unfortunately, he can't move Raph just yet because there's a guard in the ceiling keeping watch. He moves to the hatch mechanism and does a trick on it, opening it up.

The guard falls down the hatch. "Aaagh!" He lands on his back and gets up. Donnie moves back to the bell and rings it, distracting the guard.

"What's this hole?"

Donnie moves back to the hatch, forgetting that it was still open. He closes it up.

"I'll check it out tomorrow."

Donnie moves to the left guard's bulletproof vest, the one that's circling Rocksteady's cell. He waits for him to move up the stairs so that Donnie can get underneath the stairs.

"Hmm. This area under the stairs is a blind spot for the guards. They won't find him here. This spot is safe."

He waits for the guard to move past as he was walking down the stairs. One of them walks upstairs and since Donnie can't do much from under that area, he waits again until the guard is up the stairs. He presses the signal and Raph speeds to underneath the stairs. He travels to an empty soda can on the floor, and then to a guard's bulletproof vest since he was close enough for Donnie to get there. The guard starts walking down the stairs and Donnie moves to the hatch again. Opening it will get Raph to squeeze in there. He distracts the guard with the bell and moves to a valve near the hatch.

He closes the hatch so that the guard upstairs wouldn't fall. He has to distract the guard again, so he does just that. He moves back to the hatch and opens it once the upper level guard isn't near it. He moves to the valve and presses the signal while the lower level guard is focused on the bell and luckily not in Raph's direction. Raph grabs the railing and jumps quickly into the space, laying down there. Luckily since it's hidden, no guards will see him once they come down the stairs.

Donnie closes the hatch so that when Raph needed to move, he wouldn't fall on his shell. He moves into the empty cell on the upper level as he needs to figure out how to Raph up there without those guards seeing him. He watches the guards move past Raph and he shows his gaptooth as he was right, they can't see Raph when they pass by him. When the guard gets to the upper level bunk, Donnie moves to it.

He then gets to Bebop's cell and sees a hatch underneath the drums. Since it's closed, he presses the signal and Raph rolls down the space, landing near the drums. He opens the hatch, but the guard stops at the noise. He didn't recognize the sound, thankfully, but unfortunately, he's blocking the exit door. Donnie moves to the drums and makes them do a sound. That gets the guard's attention and he falls through the hatch, landing all the way to the lower floor. Luckily he landed on his feet, because Donnie did not want to kill any of these guards.

Donnie moves to Bebop's bunk and presses the signal. Raph grabs the railing from above and lifts himself up to the floor. He doesn't move further.

"If I move now, I'm going to fall. Could you close the floor hatch for me, Don?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry," Donnie closes it for him and he goes back to the bunk, pressing the signal. Raph steps to it as he's finally at the exit! "So, what do you think?"

"I'd say, if we've come this far, we did it! Great job, Don!"

The alarm suddenly goes off. "The basement generator has been repaired! Restoring power to all areas!"

The power goes back on, but since the guards still have the night vision goggles on, they can't see him. All of the cell doors close and Raph sighs in relief.

"Whew! We just made it!" He grins, hands on his hips. "High three!" They high-three each other.

"But the question is, what now?" Donnie wonders and Raph shrugs.

"I don't have anywhere to go, do I? Maybe I'll go back to my cell..."

"Y-You'd better be kidding!" Donnie argues in defense. He spent all that work and he was not going to let Raph go back to that cell.

"But I'm still a condemned criminal, ya know," Raph points out, arms crossed as he's frowning. "I doubt anybody'd welcome me with open arms."

"Why don't you try contacting April?" Donnie suggests, "She went to see some 'justice minister' guy..."

"So, an escaped death-row convict is supposed to just report in to the justice minister, is that it?" Raph says sarcastically. "Hmm, I kind of like that...Anyway, after all the trouble you went through, I guess I'd better haul shell."

"That would be nice, yes," Donnie says slowly, but he doesn't wanna say goodbye just yet. They're siblings...the only two of their family left...besides April. What was Tori's connection to them, anyway?

"Alright, Don. Until we meet again. And trust me, we will," Raph winks as he points at Donnie. "See ya, bro."

"See ya too...meathead."

He had no idea where that came from, but it felt right...Raph looks surprised at the insult, but he grins, and then he's gone as he makes his escape.

So now he's saved a condemned criminal's life and helped him escape...Was that really the right thing to do? He guessed all he can do is believe in himself and April at this point. Detective Raph was painting his picture in his cell. He knows him. He's sure he'll be talking to him again...

Donnie's still in Bebop's bunk, and he moves from the instruments and the toilet to get to the internal phone. For some reason, none of the prisoners have been brought back to their cells. Donnie uses the phone to get to the guard room.

But Detective Raph's 'until we meet again' comes around quicker than he expects. When he got back to the guard room, the next fateful call comes in.

Officer Fenwick is watching the still-dancing Officer Thompson when the phone rings. And as promised, he's recording the whole thing. Officer Fenwick spins around in his chair and answers it. "Hello. This is-"

It's Raph on the line as he appears to be right outside the prison. "Donnie, are you there?" He looks troubled.

"Hello? Who's this?" Officer Fenwick asks in confusion. He swore that voice was familiar.

"Oh, I ain't talking to you, officer. Anyway, if you're there, Donnie, get your shell here immediately. I'll be waiting for ya...if ya make in time, that is." And with that, he hangs up the phone.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Officer Fenwick calls out, but the phone beeps, Raph already gone. Officer Fenwick stares at the receiver in confusion. "I just got a weird call. He was asking for Don, and he sounded like Raph...sure, why not?"

 _Trace Complete._

Donnie quickly travels to the external line, using the new number he just got.

On the other end of the telephone line, the scene that greets him tells him one simple fact...

He's staring at Raph who has his hands up. Casey is also there...holding a gun at Raph's shell.

Their great escape plan has ended in failure. The air is tense as Raph doesn't even turn around. "Never expected to see ya here, Inspector Jones," Raph spits out the name in hatred.

"I beliiieve that's my line, my old friend..." Casey waves the gun in his hand, staring at Raph's shell.

"Stop talking like that. What are ya doing here?" Raph demands as he keeps his hands up. Not that he'd think Casey would actually shoot, but...

He doesn't know Casey anymore.

"I beliiieve that's my line, too, clearly." He lifts up the gun and Raph drops his arms, gritting his teeth as he turns around. Donnie wondered why they seem to dislike each other. Didn't April tell him that he and his family were friends in the detective division with Casey?

"I came to...attend your execution," Casey frowns solemnly. "They told me what time it was...Couldn't get in to the chamber, so I was observing a moment of silence here. And when I looked up...my eyes full of tears, there you were, Raph."

"It's just the way things turned out," Raph replies, looking away from the inspector. He grins to himself. "I took part in what seemed like a fun game, and here I am. But it wasn't a game...let's just say that it was very...nostalgic."

Donnie smiles weakly at the compliment.

"Here's what I wish, Raph," Casey gestures to himself with the gun. "Wish it was anybody but me who found ya here..."

Raph says nothing, as this was irony. Casey points the gun at him again and Raph rolls his eyes, holding up his arms again.

"Cause now that I've found ya, maaan, I have to turn you in."

"You have to stay spotlessly clean, after all," Raph snarls, and Donnie got the sense that this is why Raph is glaring at his 'friend.'

Donnie decides to talk to Raph now so that he can get some answers...before Casey takes him back...

"Thanks for coming," Raph smiles gratefully. "I wanted to say goodbye to ya. As ya can see...I guess I ain't going to be much help to ya."

"What's going to happen to you?" He frowns in worry as he can't imagine what April would feel once he tells her this...

"Being executed tonight is just about the only thing on my schedule," Raph shrugs like it was nothing.

"Execution, huh...?" Donnie looks down at the ground, trying not to cry. Raph may not be the ideal brother, but Donnie felt like he's learning so much more when he's with him. "Death is pretty much meaningless to me...except when it comes to people I care about. I guess we'll be seeing each other again."

Raph grins as this isn't goodbye. Just a see ya later. "By the way, there's something I'm looking for..."

"Oh, that's right. Your...lost memory," Raph sighs slowly.

"You know things I'd like to know. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"In return for tonight's fun little game, is that it?" Raph places his hands on his hips with a smirk. Well, that didn't mean a no.

"I saw it, you know. That picture you were painting in your cell tonight. That was me. Which means you painted it for a reason. Were we close?"

Raph's eyes widen before there's silence. "I'm...sorry, but...I can't talk to you about that now."

"Wh-What?! Why not?!" Donnie sweats a little, hoping that Raph still doesn't think he's an imposter.

"Because I...I don't know the true face."

"The...true face...?" Donnie asks slowly. Did Raph mean him? Why?

"I'm a detective," Raph points out. "I can only talk about what I'm sure of. However...I can give you one lead, at least."

"A lead? What is it?" Donnie questions curiously.

"A long time ago, I gave April something to hold on to for me. It was a music box."

Donnie's mouth drops open. "If ya ever come across it," Raph smirks a little, "I advise ya to open it. It might jog your memory."

 _That wooden box I found in April's apartment!_

"And that's the only help I can give ya right now."

"That man pointing the gun at you right now...They say he's your 'good friend'..."

"Family friend...we all were, you and our family when we were in the detective division together. That was a long time ago. Now he's the head of the Special Investigation Unit. The top of the elite...we were both competing for that spot," Raph huffs, crossing his arms. "A lot of good it's doin' him. Getting ahead is the only thing he thinks about now. And that black coat of his is the symbol of his determination...and boneheadedness."

"His black coat...?"

"For somebody looking to get promoted to the top, what's the one thing they're afraid of the most?" Raph holds up a finger. "A blot on their record, of course. Like a stain on a black coat," Raph scoffs in amusement. "Who would promote a guy with a coat covered in stains?"

 _If it was me, I wouldn't even wear a coat. It'd just get in the way._

"The world is full of excellent candidates. Even one mistake could be the end of a career. I'm surprised Casey even cared."

"But everybody makes mistakes, right?" Donnie asks.

"Nevertheless, Jones has chosen the path of the black coat...And he'd do anything—anything at all—to hide his coat's shadows. Though, I'm inclined to agree about the no coat. Maybe he should consider that."

"Like send his good friend to the gallows..." Donnie murmurs, but it could also have to do with guilt.

"Because that's the right thing to do, no matter who ya have to sacrifice. I'm a condemned criminal, after all. And that's why he has that gun pointed at me right now," Raph finishes off and Donnie immediately knows that he's talking about their family...but Jones can't let someone escape...

Even if that person is his friend.

"Is your execution...really the right thing to do?" Donnie questions slowly as his voice is trying not to crack.

"I had a fair trial, and that's what was decided. No problem there," Raph narrows his eyes.

"But still..." Donnie wipes his eyes, looking away from Raph.

"This is the punishment that I should receive...in order to bring a final close to that case and put it to rest forever," Raph places a hand on Donnie's shoulder.

"...April believes you're innocent. She's running around right now trying to prove it. Is that all you have to leave her with and your own brother with, 'No problem there?' "

Raph keeps quiet as he remembers who he has left. "I...I was sentenced to the death penalty for killing my wife, Mona...our father, Master Splinter...our sister, Amy...and our oldest brother, Leonardo. But, to me, that's not all it was for."

"What do you mean by that?" Donnie looks at him curiously.

"I'm talkin' about something that happened even before this case. I stole somebody else's life."

"Wh-What?!" Donnie exclaims in surprise. He killed someone else before then?

"It was ten years ago. I'll never forget it...That day, I—we—saved the life of a little girl...and I stole away the life of a man."

 _Ten years ago...the life of a little girl..._ "Could that 'little girl' be...April?"

Raph looks at him in shock. "She...told you about that?"

"Yeah," Donnie smiles at what April said. "She said you were her hero."

 _"Now, just calm down! And drop that weapon!"_

 _"S-Stay back! If you come any closer...I'll shoot her!"_

"Ten years ago, in a certain park, a little girl was taken hostage. We were still young then. I myself didn't have any self-control. I remember asking myself at the time...'Raph, are you gonna shoot this guy?' And this is what I answered...'Yeah, I'm gonna shoot.' My hand was shaking a little. If my hand slipped...the man might die. Even the little hostage girl was in danger. You and the others were trying to settle this. They...they didn't see it. The hesitation in my eyes. But you...you were trying to stop me. Nevertheless, that was my answer. I was gonna shoot...and the man died. I took his life. We didn't bother telling April about the outcome. She was so young at the time...I don't deserve to be called a 'hero.' If anything, that's you and our siblings. What I deserve is...execution."

Donnie stays silent at that. Raph...killed a guy? And Donnie tried to stop him...but he didn't listen...but...that didn't change Donnie's opinion of him. It was a tense situation that no one could fathom...he could understand that. After all, the life of a police detective was bound to be dangerous.

"Ready to go? My arms are getting tired," Raph snaps at Casey.

"You got it, man. Time for the big shooow of hauling you in," He brags and Raph grunts, dropping his arms.

"Oh, that's right. Just let me make one last phone call," Raph offers.

"That's a biiig favor to ask so casually, my old friend."

"I'm the only old friend besides April still alive," Raph retorts back.

"...I saw Donnie's corpse at the crime scene, ya know. I...I wish I wasn't inspector so I wouldn't have to supervise his death. Tell you what I'll dooo. I'll pretend I'm not watchin'. I'll be listenin', though. On that ya can rely," Casey points the gun back at Raph in case he tries anything. Raph picks up the receiver.

"Don, you've got your own path to follow. You'd better hurry."

"My own path...?" Donnie repeats to make sure he heard that.

"April's at the justice minister's office right now, right? It might not be a bad idea to say my final farewell to him, too," Raph grins slowly and he dials the office. April answers the phone.

"H-Hello?! Everything's fine here!" April exclaims quickly, hoping it's not the police. Raph says nothing at her voice for a few seconds.

"Is this Murakami's? I'd like to request a delivery."

"Um...Murakami's is next door! Goodbye!" April hangs up, finding that call weird. He puts down the receiver.

"Hmm...It sounds like she's in some kinda trouble," Raph murmurs in his mind.

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Go help her out, would you, Don?" Raph requests, grinning.

"But what about you?" Donnie asks in concern.

"Don't. Don't give me that. The last thing I need is your sympathy," Raph warns, pointing at Donnie.

"...Alright..."

Raph sighs slowly and holds out his arms. "Come here." They both hug and Raph pats Donnie's shell. "I ain't dying right now. This is only a temporary goodbye..."

He turns back to Casey. "Sorry to keep ya waiting, Jones. Ready to go?"

Casey then suddenly remembers something. "Oh, before I forgeeet..." He puts away his gun. "I have a little something for ya." He pulls out a pocket watch from his coat pocket. He spins it before throwing it into the air. Raph holds his hand out as it lands in his three-fingered hand. "A present, if you will. There's nothing else like it, baby!"

"If there's nothing else like it, don't throw it," Raph deadpans and he opens the watch. "What's this, a pocket watch? Considering my situation, it's the last thing in the world I need right now."

"Forgive me, maaan. Let's just say I'm no good at chooosing presents."

Raph closes the watch and puts it away. He starts walking towards Jones before he turns back to the phone. "This is it, Don. Let me just leave ya with one thing. Don't trust other people's memories. Look for what ya seek with your own eyes."

"I'll...remember that," Donnie closes his eyes. "I promise."

Raph gives a little smile before Jones takes him away, presumably back to prison...

They're gone. There's nothing left here...No hope...and no cores, either. Without any cores, he can't follow after them. This is the end of his 'adventure.' He feels pretty dejected, but he guessed he'd better go find April...

He'll follow the path Raph pointed out to him...the path to the justice minister's office, where April went to try and stop the execution.


	10. Chapter 10

_11:41 PM_

Now that his assignment to stop the execution had ended in such an unsatisfactory way...he decided to go see April at the justice minister's office.

Raph's story about this 'other murder' weighs on him heavily. Should he tell April about it? He just doesn't know.

When he arrives, April is bending down beneath the desk. She seems to be occupied with something. This time, April isn't dead. But the atmosphere makes him think it might be too soon to count his blessings just yet.

He goes to the Ghost World, and behold, the justice minister has been killed. April must've just arrived and stumbled upon him. He goes to the mind of the justice minister and is taken to the blue flame. Like everyone else he's met tonight, the justice minister is unconscious.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Donnie calls out, but there's no answer. _Hmm...He's dead, but he still seems to be unconscious._

"Hey!" He's not surprised to see April since he can talk to multiple people at once. "There you are!"

"What kind of greeting is that? And shoving somebody's poor soul out of the way like that? Tsk, tsk," He grins at her and she rolls her eyes. "I gotta say, though...No matter where you go, somebody always seems to turn up dead."

"I can't do anything about that," She laughs at the joke.

"Who is it this time? Is this the justice minister?" Donnie wonders and April nods in confirmation.

"Yeah, the man who signed the order to carry out Raph's execution. He was already dead when I got here." From what Donnie remembered, he was the one who called that lady's home...so that must mean Miss Campbell is married to the justice minister. Oh, boy...I wonder what happened this time?

"Well? And...?" April asks slowly. "How did it go? Was Raph still alive?!"

"He'd...already been executed by the time I got there. I did manage to save him, but..."

"You did? Oh, I'm so glad!" April beams and while it makes him smile to see her happy, there was one little thing that he didn't mention... "...Wait a minute," She realizes that she interrupted him. "Did you say but?"

He told April about his 'adventure' at the prison. About that 'other murder,' though...he couldn't bring myself to tell her. In April's eyes, Raph was already her hero. If he tells her what Raph said, it might make her lose hope in him even more...not only that, Donnie didn't want to believe that he did it, either. He knew Raph enough to know that despite his attitude and anger...he'd never kill.

"Casey arrested Raph...?" April covers her mouth in shock. Casey would never do that. "I can't believe it! Casey would never betray Raph! Even if he is cocky, Casey wouldn't do that! He may be overconfident, he's still loyal!"

"Just so you know...Raph himself said it was the right thing to do," Donnie speaks up and April says nothing. "Anyway...I'd better take care of the justice minister here."

"You mean we," April grins at him.

"But you don't have ghost powers," Donnie raises an amused brow.

"Hey, we're still a team, right?" She winks at him. "But I have lots of questions for him, too!"

"April...I think you should sit this one out," Donnie advises and she nods in understanding. He didn't want her to overwhelm the justice minister with questions since he's dead.

"Okay..."

 _Back we go, then! To four minutes before his death!_

Donnie presses Rewind Time and then they're sent back in time to see the justice minister's death. They watch him signing papers with a stoic face. He takes another one and then the phone rings, which startles him.

"Cassandra! Oh, excuse me..." He slumps back in his chair as it is not his wife calling. He listens to what the other person has to say and then he thrashes around in panic. "Whaaat?!" Whatever that person said, it must've disturbed him.

He keeps listening and then frowns. "Alright...I'll do as you say." He sits back down, a hand on his cheek as he looks upset. He then hangs up, holding his hair in stress.

"This is terrible!" He takes the receiver and makes another phone call, sweat dripping down his face. He taps his finger against his hair before he sags his head, putting down the receiver again. He shakes his head slowly.

"Why doesn't she answer?!" He starts spazzing out, the previous call and his wife not answering taking a toll on him. He holds his head, slamming it on the desk, making Donnie's eyes widen. He slowly calms down, sitting in his chair and shaking his head again. He grips the back of his hair.

He suddenly looks up as he clutches where his heart is. "Gaaaaaa!" His heart is pounding like it's on fire and he slowly reaches out to a bottle next to his stack of papers.

"M-Medicine...!" He's shaking as he tries to get it, but it slips from his hands and it lands all the way next to a display of knight armor. The justice minister freaks the heck out and it looks like that he can't move much as he tries to get a pitcher of water on his right.

"W-Water...!" Like the medicine bottle, that falls too and the pitcher breaks into pieces, the water spilling all over the floor. He grips at his suit as he looks around before he dies of a heart attack, induced by all the stress. He falls to the ground, hiding under the desk where April found him.

"Such a foolish man."

"Oh, you woke up?" Donnie asks in surprise at the man.

"He's a contradiction," The justice minister replies.

"Contradiction?" Donnie is utterly confused.

"The more we search for the truth, the further into a dilemma we fall," The justice minister recites. "The world of men is steeped in contradictions. If we choose this, we can't have that...If a man tries to have his medicine bottle and water pitcher, too, he loses both."

"Oh, I dunno...to me, it looks like you could've had both of those things just now..." Donnie shrugs slowly.

"He didn't know the truth about the world. That's why he died. Such a foolish man. Or maybe I should say, a pathetic man. That's the more fitting word," The justice minister states, arms crossed.

 _Uh, I don't think this guy gets it yet. That the foolish and pathetic man is him. Is that what they call a 'contradiction?'_ "By the way, what's your name?" Donnie asks curiously.

"...My name is John Bishop. Just call me Bishop."

 _Huh, honest on that one, wasn't he?_

When they get to the past, Donnie is on the ground. He moves to the phone just as it rings. "Cassandra! Oh, excuse me..." he slumps back down in his chair.

It's Rahzar, the mutant that Donnie saw at Murakami's, on the phone. He's leaning against the wall in a dark room that's only lit by a single candle. "Forgive me for calling so late, Mr. Bishop," He doesn't sound sincere. Fishface doesn't seem to be anywhere near the phone.

"Who is this?" Bishop demands, "How did you get this number?"

"We have your daughter," Rahzar tells him simply.

"Wh-Who is this...? Chloe's tutor...?" He asks slowly.

"Would a tutor call you at this hour?" Rahzar retorts back and considering how it's almost midnight, Bishop can already sense this is a serious matter.

"...N-No..."

"I'll say it one more time. We have your daughter."

"Whaaat?!" Bishop freaks out like last time, standing up. "M-My daughter! Is she alright? Tell me she's alright!"

"Hear for yourself," Rahzar takes his ear off the receiver, holding it out.

"Papa, help! I'm gonna be killed!" Chloe cries out, crying.

"What do you want...? What are your demands?!" Bishop clenches a fist from his desk.

"I believe we already made our demand known the other day."

Bishop seems to know what he's talking about. "Oh...so it was you..."

"And have you complied?" Rahzar asks knowingly. "Has the execution been carried out?" To Donnie, this is a rather odd and repulsive demand. They want his brother dead in exchange for a little girl's life at stake right now? Now he sees why they work for Shredder.

"I-I didn't do it because of your demand!" Bishop stammers, "I did it because...that's my job!"

"Yes...yes, of course," Rahzar says sarcastically.

"They should be contacting me any minute now with the confirmation. There's no need for this kidnapping!" Bishop states as he wants them to let her go. Chloe has no business in his job and she wouldn't understand all the stress and pressure it brings.

"We're very thorough," Rahzar smirks to himself. "You'd do well to remember that."

"Aaaaagh..." Bishop runs a hand through his hair.

"And of course, it goes without saying, we're watching you," Rahzar threatens. "If this information leaves that room...you'll never see your daughter again. I trust you understand that," He opens up his hand to show five claws and Donnie cringes. He couldn't imagine his brothers and sister interacting with them very well...if they were still around.

"Don't tell the police, is that it?" Bishop growls, slamming a fist on the ground.

"Exactly."

As much as Bishop hated it, he had to protect his daughter. Even if that meant she'd still be at risk with Rahzar. "All you have to do is your job."

"Alright...I'll do as you say," Bishop grits his teeth. "I'll make sure the execution is carried out tonight. You have my word." Donnie holds his head that Bishop is gonna go through with this? Doesn't he know that Raph is a detective and that April's trying to prove him innocent?

Donnie has the option to go there, but it won't help save Bishop's life. If he goes there, he'd have to restart. He wants to do something, but right now, saving Bishop is important.

The phone call ends and Bishop places the receiver down.

 _Trace Complete._

Bishop holds his head in panic. "This is terrible!"

"A kidnapping, eh?" Once again, I'm not sure i know what the word means...but it's apparently the cause of the minister's attack.

"Such a useless man," Bishop replies to Donnie's confusion.

"Huh?"

"A useless man, caught up in a useless case...why doesn't he understand that...?" Bishop asks slowly.

 _Anyway...we only have four minutes here. I'd better do something about that medicine._

Donnie waits as Bishop takes the receiver as he needed the right time. Bishop taps his finger against his head as he waits for his wife to answer, but she doesn't. Donnie moves to the flag and waits as Bishop slowly places the receiver down. The fact that his wife hasn't called him about this matter takes a toll on him. He holds his head. "Why doesn't she answer?!"

He then has his panic attack that Donnie saw earlier, just before he died. He holds his hair and then looks up, clutching his heart. He thrashes around, shaking.

"M-Medicine...!" He tries to get it, but it falls out of his reach. He looks very distressed as he reaches out to the pitcher. "W-Water...!"

It starts to fall, but the reason why Donnie waited is so he could trick the flag to move, putting the pitcher back into place. He then moves to the pitcher as Bishop grabs it and drinks it all in one gulp. While he has it raised, Donnie moves up to the ceiling fan. Bishop puts down the empty pitcher, panting as he's breathing steadily.

"There! That should help!" Donnie smiles in relief. "At least now he's had some water. He's still breathing, apparently." He looks to see Bishop still clutching at his heart. _But he looks far from recovered, unfortunately..._

"Such a wishy-washy man," Bishop shakes his head.

"Huh?"

"He can't make up his mind whether to live or die. That's how he lives his life."

"Okaaay..." Donnie says slowly, as Bishop still hasn't gotten it. "At least now I bought some time to get his medicine to him." He's gained at least a minute or two, at least.

 _Fate Changed!_

Donnie tricks the ceiling fan so that some papers from the pile start flying. Donnie travels to a paper that flies around and lands near the medicine. Luckily, it landed close enough for him to move there. He possesses the medicine.

"Okay, time for the next step. Now, about this medicine bottle...If the minister's-Bishop—is going to make a full recovery...I have to deliver this thing to him." _But how is a ghost with no hands or feet supposed to do that? I guess I'll just have to use my head, instead._

The only thing close enough to move the bottle is the sword from the armor right next to him, but it's not long enough to hit the bottle. He's going to have to put something at the end of the sword to lengthen it. He moves to the left arm of the armor and presses trick, causing the arm to lift up as if the armor is saluting. Donnie gives a gap-toothed grin at the display, but no time for jokes. From the arm, he can reach a hanging basket that has a cantaloupe inside, which is a fake one.

He uses that to move to a frame hanger that's holding a picture of a sword. He presses trick to release the left end, but it doesn't fall down. The right hanger is still holding the painting up. Donnie goes back the way he came and puts the arm from the armor back down. He reaches out to the curtain next to the armor. He closes the curtain so that he's to the left.

There's another piece of armor at the right side and like with the left one, Donnie makes it salute. Instead of a hanging basket of fruit, there's a globe instead. He does a trick so that the globe is facing right instead of left. He moves to the globe and does a trick so that the globe spins around and falls off. It knocks over an urn (which does not contain any ashes, thankfully) and it lands right in front of the curtain.

He goes to the frame hanger since the globe was close enough. He knocks it off and the painting falls on top of the urn, creating a seesaw of sorts. He moves back to the globe and makes it roll onto the right of the seesaw. He then goes to the curtain and makes it close so that he's back on the left. He moves to the arm of the armor and makes it salute again.

He travels back to the fruit hanger and makes it turn to the right instead of the left, kind of like how he did with the globe. He makes the fake fruit swing, knocking over another urn. The weight of this urn is heavier, so the globe soars over and lands on the sword that's on the left near the medicine. Donnie pumps a fist silently and moves to the globe, and then to the sword. He makes it spin around and the globe knocks the medicine back onto Bishop's desk, right back in its spot too.

Bishop looks up and scrambles over to the medicine. "M-My medicine!" He quickly grabs it, opens it with strength as he doesn't even twist the lid, and gulps down all the pills.

"There! Bishop finally took his medicine!" I think maybe he even took TOO MUCH medicine...

"Such a greedy man."

"Huh?" For the third time, Donnie is confused.

"He's supposed to take two capsules with water. Why doesn't he know that?"

"Aw, cut the guy some slack," Donnie gestures to Bishop. "There. See?" Bishop spins around happily at his health, even starting to sing as he looks—and sounds—perfectly fine.

 _Fate Averted!_

"Whew," Donnie wipes the sweat off his forehead. "That was a lot of work."

"Well, hopefully, this taught him a lesson," Bishop huffs slightly.

"Huh?"

"He greatly underestimated his dependence on his medicine. I hope he learned something from this experience. First, know yourself. That is the key to everything."

"I think you need to listen to your own advice," Donnie tells him gently. "Anyway, let's go back to the world of the present."

When they are taken back to the new present, Bishop still looks stressed. Alive, but stressed. And so Bishop is now back to life. But the furrows on his brow are even deeper now...

April is standing near the desk, hands on her hips as she looks assertive. And, apparently, his lady detective is the present cause of those furrows. Wait, when did he start calling April his lady detective...?

Bishop lifts his head, turning to April on his left. "Look, Detective. He was sentenced after a fair trial. And the mutant himself wants to be executed."

"But there was no evidence!" April insists sharply. "All they had was his own confession." There was no fingerprints, no witnesses, and no forensics that would even suggest that Raph committed this crime.

"But it was no ordinary confession. It was the confession of an esteemed detective," Bishop rubs his temples. April goes to get into his face, but Bishop freaks out. "Stay back!" April stands there in surprise as she's never seen him like that. "I told you I don't want anybody coming near me!"

Donnie's curious about that too. What could've happened to garner that reaction?

"Mr. Bishop, please listen to me!" April says in a pleading voice. "I might be able to gather new evidence in that case tonight!"

Bishop looks up in surprise, whipping his head to her. "Wh-What...?"

"So, please, please! Just give me a little more time!"

He says nothing for a few seconds. "I just got a call from the prison. Your death-row convict apparently just escaped."

April sweats a little as she had asked Donnie to stop the execution no matter what. But never did she think that Bishop would figure out so quickly. "Unfortunately, after all this time, it seems he now wants to dodge his punishment."

"B-But..." April tries to defend.

"When he's apprehended, his sentence will be carried out." He might be taking a life, but he will not risk his daughter's by saving Raph. "Tonight."

"No..." A tear threatens to escape April's eye. "But when the sentence was handed down, you were against enforcing the death penalty."

His eyes widen as she looks up at him. "So why did you sign the order all of a sudden?" The death penalty was so out of place that someone would have to bring an order to Bishop. He hadn't gotten an order for years, but...even he can't fathom why he signed such a paper.

"Well, I...I was simply performing my duty as justice minister. That's all there is to it," He tries to look as professional as possible, pulling at his collar a bit.

Donnie decides to step in here since April has made no success whatsoever. Since he's still in the sword from when he saved Bishop's life, he makes the sword spin. The blast of wind gets April's attention and she turns to the sword. The globe is still attached to the tip and she walks up to it, recognizing the presence.

"Donnie! There you are!" She cheers while whispering.

"It sounds like the minister is being very stubborn," He states to her frustration.

"That's right! He is! Maybe we shouldn't have saved him after all!" She huffs at the fact that Bishop won't budge.

"Bishop has to have the execution carried out tonight. And...he has a very good reason for it." Donnie gulps at the fact that two lives are at risk. Either his brother dies and a girl lives, or a girl dies and they all have to live with the death of a child by their own hands.

"A good reason?" April asks in confusion.

He told April what he had learned about the kidnapping.

"K-Kidnapping?!" April stammers in shock. "They kidnapped Bishop's daughter?!"

"Apparently," Donnie states and April covers her mouth in shock.

"Oh my goodness..." She turns around as she takes this information in. "But, still..." She turns back to him. "That's still no reason to hurry forward with the execution!" She still wants to help Raph, to prove that he did not kill his family. If Bishop rushes it and April finds evidence, they'll have killed an innocent turtle.

"Why don't you go ahead and say that to Bishop, then?" Donnie suggests gently to calm her down. She looks down, frowning.

"Hmm...the poor man...I hate to do that to him..."

"Oh, by the way..." Donnie starts off, April looking up at him in confusion. "Do you think you could carry me?" He wanted to help April out to try and appeal to the man. He did save Bishop, so he should be able to hear Donnie.

"Oh, right. Sure," April smiles gently, "Not very handy, is it, having no legs?"

"April," He frowns a little. "It's hard enough having no legs...!"

"I'm sorry," She smiles sheepishly and walks over to the knight armor. She struggles a bit, but manages to pull it right off. Because of the globe, it falls to the ground, and she picks it back up, walking back to her spot. Donnie moves to the globe so that he's closer to Bishop. He folds his hands together before glancing at April. He whips back to her, eyes widening as he sees what she's holding.

"What are you doing to do with that globe?" He asks skeptically, "Crack me in the head with it?"

"Oh, this?" April laughs sheepishly at how this looks. "Er, heh heh...Pay no attention to this."

 _It's kind of hard NOT to pay attention to it..._

April shushes him while Bishop just stares. For some reason, he gets an odd feeling in the air... "By the way...and please pardon me if this is a silly question...Were you...talking to somebody just now...? But, of course not, right...? I mean, there's no such thing...as ghosts, right...?"

"Are you talking about me?" Donnie speaks up and Bishop shouts in surprise, sitting up.

"No, there's no such thing! This is a dream! It's nothing but a dream!" He denies it, and yet the turtle sounded so real.

"Don't you remember me?" Donnie pouts playfully, crossing his arms.

"My dream is talking to me!" Bishop holds his hair as he's sweating. He must be going crazy, right? He looks up at the detective as she says nothing. Could she hear it too?

 _Hmph. So now I'm a dream, eh?_

Bishop slowly sits back down, holding his head. It just wasn't possible. Ghosts couldn't possibly exist...much less Donatello's...

"Mr. Bishop...?" April questions quietly, looking sympathetic. "We know. We know about your daughter. She was kidnapped, wasn't she?"

Bishop looks surprised as he didn't know how April could possibly know that. "And if the execution doesn't take place tonight...you won't see her again..."

Bishop starts having another heart attack at the mention of her fate and April drops the sword in surprise, glancing at the bottle on his desk. Being a detective, she realizes what it's for and rushes over to him. She grabs the medicine bottle, holding it in front of him. "Your medicine! Medicine!"

After a few minutes of putting the pills back into him, Bishop is contemplating his choices that he's been dealt with. "Oh, what am I going to do...?" He covers his eyes so he doesn't let April see his guilt. "The death-row prisoner has escaped. If he isn't executed tonight...my daughter...my Chloe...!"

"But what if that execution isn't the right thing to do?!" April presses and he shouts at her outburst.

"Come on, April. If you keep pressing him like that, he's gonna die again," Donnie reminds her and she holds her hair, stressed.

"What can I do, then...?!" She moves away from him, looking just as guilty. She didn't want to risk a life as much as Bishop did.

Donnie moves from the globe to the phone and decides to go to the hideout, to see if what Rahzar said was true. Since April and Bishop don't know where they are, Donnie's their only hope. He travels using the phone lines.

He really should pay the kidnappers' hideout a visit. After all, if they want Bishop to come around, they have to solve this problem first...

He feels like he's slowly moving away from his own mystery...but he's not the kind of guy who can abandon a little lady in trouble. So he guesses he's in this for a little while longer, but that's okay.

Anything that gets him closer to the mystery of himself...


	11. Chapter 11

_12:10 AM_

The daughter of the justice minister, Bishop, has been abducted. The kidnappers' demand? The execution of the death-row prisoner Raphael to be carried out tonight.

April says the execution is a mistake, and Donnie believes her. After all...Raph is his only brother. And so he's paying the kidnappers' hideout a visit, to see what he can find out about the abduction. It's the only way that Bishop would even considering stopping the execution.

When he arrives at the hideout, Rahzar is sitting in the dark. He looks at someone as the candle is the only thing lighting up the room. "What took you so long?"

The lights turn on as it's Fishface, still holding onto whatever's in that red suitcase. "Your miniscule instinct was right, wolfman. They had that restaurant surrounded. It took me forever to shake them, and now my poor bike is ready for the scrapheap."

Rahzar stands up and walks over to him. "Next time, maybe you should make it a tricycle, so you don't hurt yourself," He chuckles lowly, earning a growl from Fishface. He throws the suitcase down carelessly, which causes five statues to hit each other...familiar.

Rahzar looks at them and turns back to his partner. "Hey, be more careful with our valuable hostage!" He orders, Fishface rolling his eyes. Donnie assumes that's what's been in the suitcase this whole time. No wonder why it seemed so heavy.

"Yes, yes. Always keep a smile on a lady's face," He recites, waving it off. "See, it even works for wolves."

"Yes, a wry smile," Rahzar crosses his arms. He walks up to the door as Fishface sits down on a truck in front of the suitcase. "I'm going out for a breath of fresh air. You're on guard duty."

"Whatever. I'll dream of lovely ladies in the meantime."

"Why don't you do something useful and open the trunk for our guest?" Rahzar spits back.

"I will. I was just taking a little breather..." Fishface shrugs a little. Rahzar scoffs and opens the door, leaving the room. The door closes behind him. "Alright, little lady...let me open that trunk for you..." His eyes get tired and soon enough, he's asleep as he hangs his head. "Mm, Amelia..."

Donnie wondered who that was, but he didn't think he needed to know...not with the way the fish said that. It looks like Bishop's daughter really HAS been kidnapped...And something else is bothering him, too.

He takes a look around the room, where there's a familiar looking machine...one that he's seen before. He doesn't think he's ever been to this room specifically...but something about it is giving him a strange sense of déjà vu. He's seen something like this before...

He travels from the phone to the candle that's still lit. He makes the flame glow a little larger and it burns a string. The flame goes all the way up to an ornament, letting it loose near the ceiling fan that's spinning. He goes to the lower left star ornament, and then goes to the one he just let loose. He makes it swing and the star ornament gets stuck in the ceiling fan. He goes to the motor of the fan and makes it go faster, knocking a tennis ball to the ground. The motor goes back to its slower speed and Donnie goes back to the ornament that's still stuck there.

He goes back to the ornaments above the candle and heads down to the small door, with the ball having landed near the handle. He does a trick on the door and the ball goes rolling all the way to the truck that Fishface is sitting on. Donnie rolls his eyes as he can hear the snoring.

Donnie goes all the way back to the ceiling fan. He waits until the ornament is at the right side and moves to a candle stick that's on the wall. He tilts it ever so slightly so that it's facing the shelf that has a pink clock on it. He moves to the shade to the left of the candle stick and makes the shade move down. When he gets to the trunk Fishface is sitting on...

"Darn," Donnie mutters; he is unfortunately not close enough to reach the suitcase as it's too far away from the trunk. "I can't reach my destination from here!" Which means that he'll have to put something in between. He looks up at the clock and gets an idea. If he can get that down, he should be able to get close enough.

He moves to the candle and moves to underneath the table through various items. He recognizes the party poppers that April mentioned, looking between them and the candle stick. With the right angle...he makes them go off, and just like he hoped, the strings get stuck on the candle stick on the wall.

Fishface sits up in surprise, looking around, but he doesn't see the strings behind him. "Just my imagination..." he goes back to sleep. Donnie moves to the other party popper on the table and sets that off. Only one string gets stuck in the ceiling fan, which he was expecting.

Again, Fishface wakes up, but doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. The string continues spinning and Fishface drifts off.

Donnie glances at the candle near the phone and looks back to the string. He goes back to the shade and closes it. From there, he uses the ornaments above to get back to the ceiling fan. He then goes to the motor and makes it spin around again. He travels back to the candle and makes the flame grow, causing the string to go on fire due to the ceiling fan's speed. The string lights the candle on the other side of the room before eventually falling off the ceiling fan. Luckily, it lands in a glass of water, burning it out. Donnie travels back to the ceiling fan, going over to the right side. He goes to the shade, pulling it down. He moves to the wheel near the party poppers.

He raises it, causing the strings to go above the candle. The flame burns it, lighting the candle stick and burning the string from the shelf. The shelf falls off and the clock lands right in front of the suitcase, creating a path for Donnie to get to the suitcase. Fishface wakes up for the third time, but dismisses anything out of the ordinary and goes back to sleep.

Donnie travels to the trunk and makes it to the suitcase, opening it...

The girl who has been kidnapped is not Chloe, Bishop's daughter. It's Tori, the lizard mutant girl that lives with April and Mikey. She's calmly reading a book and has some pineapple juice. Or at least, that's what she's letting the kidnappers believe.

"What in the...?" Donnie asks slowly. "What's going on here? This little lady is..."

 _Tori read a book while eating donuts, nodding to the music._

"Is this little lady really a daughter of the justice minister...?" Donnie wonders as they don't even look close to related.

Just then, Rahzar comes back and stands there. The door closes and Fishface looks up, taking a look around the room. "Imagination..." He's about to go back to sleep when he realizes who's in the room. He stands up.

"What's with the fun book and juice?" Rahzar glances at Tori.

"Like I said, 'Always keep a smile on a lady's face,' " Fishface recites, holding up a finger. "I wanted to treat our guest well."

"How about treating me well, Mr. Sushi?" Rahzar grins in amusement, leaning against the wall. "I want some energy drinks and pizza."

"Feh, you're not royalty."

"No, but as long as I'm still standing, you answer to me," Rahzar makes his claws appear and Fishface grumbles.

"I'll return with the cheap stuff," He grumbles as Tori looks up.

"Hey, mister," She sniffles a little.

"Yes, cute little lady?" He smiles to make it seem like he's nice. "More juice, perhaps? All you have to do is ask." Rahzar rolls his eyes.

"Have I been...kidnapped...?" A tear appears in her eye as she looks scared. Fishface looks like he's a deer caught in headlights.

"Don't cry, little dear. There's nothing to be afraid of. The surroundings are miserable and filthy, I know, but we just ask for a little patience," He brings his hands together.

"Don't say those awful things about this house!" Tori yells at him.

"Hmm?" Fishface is confused at her tone.

"This house is...where I used to live," She reveals sadly and Fishface's eyes widen.

"Wh-What?!" He stammers, trying to look friendly and guilty. "I apologize, little lady. I'm the one who's miserable and filthy. Forgive me!"

"I'm starting to like her," Rahzar smirks a little. Fishface turns sharply to him, glaring.

"What's the meaning of this, idiota?! Why here, at this girl's old house...?!"

"Don't ask me," Rahzar retorts back, crossing his arms. "It was the other party in our deal who chose this location."

"Oh, I see. We have to stay here in this old house only because the other party was a no-show!" Fishface hisses at him.

"It's been empty for five years," Rahzar replies coolly, "And, apparently, nobody ever comes here. But never mind that. What about my food and drinks?"

"Whatever," Fishface huffs, turning to Tori. "Now, you be a good girl while I'm gone." He walks over to the door, opens it, and leaves Tori with Rahzar.

"You just read your book and drink your juice," He growls slightly at her.

"I wanna go home..." Tori sniffles in fear. Rahzar turns around, looking at the phone.

"Not quite yet."

Tori goes back to her book because if she tried to escape, Rahzar would definitely hear her. "This dilapidated place was Tori's old house...?" What's going on here?

When Donnie goes to the Ghost World, he finds that Tori has a core. "Wh-What in the world?! Why does the little lady have a core of the dead...?" It's not a sick joke, either, he can see it clear as day. _When I helped her out at April's apartment, she didn't have one...so that must mean...she must've died sometime after that! And it also means...somebody else must've saved her!_ "I'd better ask her what happened!"

He goes over to Tori's mind and she immediately demands, "Who's there?! Oh, wait a minute...Is that you, Mikey...? Mikey!"

"I'm sorry," Donnie smiles sheepishly as he's technically intruding. "I'm not Mikey. My name's Donnie."

"Donnie...?" She seems to recognize the name. "My name is...Tori."

"Tori..." _So it IS her. I knew it!_

"What happened to me? What is this place?" She places a hand on her cheek as she checks her surroundings.

 _I can hardly tell the poor little thing this is the land of the dead._

"The land of the dead...? Does that mean I'm dead...?" She asks, about to cry.

 _Darn! I forgot there are no secrets in the Ghost World..._ "You can relax. You're not dead. But this is the first time you've been here, apparently," He rubs his chin.

"Really? I don't remember," She frowns a little. "Wait a minute...Maybe I do remember! Sort of..."

"You do?" He looks at her, curious. _It looks like she doesn't remember being saved very well. Hmm...so there's some other dead person out there with special powers, eh? Anyway, I don't want to press her if she doesn't remember dying._ "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about something else?"

"Sure, go ahead, Donnie boy!"

 _Donnie boy, eh? Ahem._ "April asked me to do something for her tonight."

"I know about that part," Donnie smiles gently. "She asked you to go to Murakami's in the Upper East Village, right?"

"Yeah, but I never got there," She frowns in disappointment. "Now I wish I could say 'I'm sorry' to her. I never should've gone through that park!"

"What park?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"Heart of Darkness Park. It's a shortcut to the Upper East Village," She clasps her hands.

"Is...that where the kidnappers grabbed you?" He asks in sympathy.

"Yeah...April always said...I don't like that park. Scary things happen there."

 _Heart of Darkness Park, eh...?_

"What am I gonna do?" Tori looks upset. "April's going to be mad..."

"She is? How come?" Donnie rubs her back.

"Because I left it there. The music box. In the park," Tori elaborates.

 _That's right! The music box...!_

"That music box was hidden in the apartment," Tori smiles gently, "I finally found it, with a little bit of luck and courage," She slowly beams at the memory. "Guess where it was?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Where?" Donnie shrugs casually. I _'ll pretend I don't know._

"You know..." Tori stares at him, smiling softly. "You don't have to humor me."

 _Oops..._ "So what happened to the music box?"

"I hid it in the bushes at the park, just before it happened," Tori puts a finger to her chin.

"Just before...? Oh, just before you were kidnapped?"

"I didn't want the bad mutant to take it!" Tori defends, "So I hid it...I bet it's still there in the park..."

"You did well," Donnie smiles at her a little, patting her on the head. _So the music box is in the park? I'd better let April know._ He decides to change the subject so that Tori wouldn't feel anymore guilty. "This is your old house?"

"Yup," She gives a small smile. "This is where we lived, until five years ago. But now I live with April and Mikey."

"April is like a big sister to you, isn't she?" Donnie remembers what April had said about her.

"Yup! She's a detective, you know. She's a hero!" Tori beams.

"She is, huh?" To Donnie, April was a hero...sort of. "By the way, about your father..."

Tori looks sad at the mention of him. "Is he the justice minister?"

"...My father is...gone..."

"Gone...?" _Maybe he passed away...?_

"No. That's not it. My dad...he's going to die. And it's all because of me!" Tears run down her cheeks.

"Wh-What?! What do you mean because of you?" Donnie asks in shock. "Why would you say that?"

"It's called an 'execution.' My dad is...a detective," She explains slowly.

"N-No way! Don't tell me your father is...Raphael...?" He questions in surprise.

"That's right."

 _What in the world...?! That means...Tori is my..._

"Five years ago, something really bad happened. Like a scary dream...but it wasn't a dream."

"Five years ago..." _That murder case...!_

"It was Mom's birthday that day. My family was working, and I was home by myself. One of them wasn't able to come. And then I had an idea. I was going to surprise my mom...I set up that contraption."

 _The door opened as an alien with a humanoid newt-like figure entered the room. She had blue skin, striped eyeballs, and a large tail. She had many large oval shaped spots that seem to spread across her body but were most visible on her head and the back of her neck. She was also much more slender-built and shorter. However, she was slightly taller than Donatello, making her taller than all of the turtles. Her astro-combat suit was a greenish blue armored exoskeleton built to help her in battle, which included oval shaped plates on the back of her forearms that could morph into weapons, as well as spiked tail extensions near the end of her tail. The suit did not cover her entire body, however, as it left her thighs, upper arms, and small segments of her tail exposed. There was also an inverted teardrop shaped crystal in her chest plate. She also had what appeared to be a jetpack on the back of her suit._

 _"I am home, Tori!" She called out as she was followed behind three other figures. One of them was a turtle like Donnie and Raph, but his eyes were blue. He had a royal blue mask and his green skin was slightly darker, his height varying between Donnie and Raph. Like his brothers, he also had knee pads and elbow pads._

 _The second one was a tall mutant rat that had brown and white markings as hair, brown eyes, and a maroon robe. He held a green staff as the last figure came in. She was a brunette with green eyes and waist-long hair. She wore the same type of coat April had, but pink along with her boots. What was most noticeable was that there was a significant bump coming out from her stomach._

 _"Why is it dark?" Mona asked as the three figures were grinning. They were meant to distract her long enough for her to see the surprise. She turned on the lights and the box lifted up from the moving ceiling fan to reveal a birthday cake. The tennis ball from the fan fell off, tilting to hit the statues. They fell as the wheel spun, lifting up a Cupid statue. The lighter lit up its arrow and Cupid turned around. It hit the candle right underneath a gun, igniting it._

 _The string moved up to the gun and their eyes widened as the gun went off, shooting Mona in the chest. "Mona!" The woman cried out as they looked down to her, but it wasn't over. The gun went off three more times, shooting the turtle, the rat, and the woman. It hit the plastron, chest, and stomach respectively. They fell around Mona, the turtle and the human holding hands as the blood seeped into the floor. Everything from the contraption went back to normal as Tori came out from her hiding spot from the cabinet door._

 _"Mom! Uncle Leo! Aunt Amy! Grandpa Splinter!" She cried out, bending down to them. Raph suddenly burst into the room._

 _"What was that noise?!" His eyes widened as he looked down at the bodies. His brother...his sister...his father...and his wife...were all dead. He could see the shocked faces on their eyes, already looking pale. He could see the holes from where they were shot..._

"I still can't believe it happened..." Tori whispers sadly. "It wasn't supposed to work like that! My aunt...she was going to have a baby..."

 _Hmm...I know that contraption...And I know how it was supposed to work...Party poppers and a cake...a birthday message..._

 _Tori and Raph shed tears as they looked down at their dead family members._ "My dad told me not to tell anybody. Not even Uncle Donnie, who was busy undercover...Just leave it to me, he said. My dad wanted to be executed. He asked them for it." Tori sniffles, covering her eyes as she cried. "But I wanted to tell everybody it was my fault! My dad said what I saw was a bad dream...He told me to forget it."

 _...This is all so unbelievably tragic...I can't believe that I wasn't supposed to know...my family...they all died in front of her..._

He can't believe it. This little lady is Raph's daughter...? And that means...that she's his niece...Poor Raphael. Until Donnie, he was the only one remaining...well, technically, he still is. _I just can't tell her...I can't tell her why she was kidnapped._

"Why was I kidnapped?! I want to know!" Tori shouts and he cringes at his mistake.

"Oops." _There are no secrets in the Ghost World...Maybe we'd better stop talking...it's too dangerous..._

"Donnie boy..." Tori looks beyond upset. "You're not going to talk to me anymore...?"

"I think we'd better get you out of here first. We can talk more after that," He smiles gently at her. "Okay?"

"Okay..." She murmurs quietly.

"I'm going to rescue you now. You just hold on a little longer, alright?"

"...Uncle Donnie?"

He freezes as she didn't think she'd recognize him that quick. "...Yes...it's me...your Uncle Donnie." He still can't believe that the little lady is his niece. He wondered if Leo and Amy ever had a child...

"Does that mean...you're dead? Why didn't anyone tell me?" She wipes at her eyes and Donnie bends down, hugging her.

"They just wanted to make sure that you'd be safe...What I did was very dangerous," He looks down at her. "So please, hang in there. Do it for me...for your family."

"...Okay. But we'll talk later, right?" She beams up at him. "Don't forget! You promised, Uncle Donnie!" She holds out her pinky and he smiles softly, linking his finger with hers. He kisses her softly on the forehead and she giggles at the contact.

"Uncle Donnie, you tickle!"

 _New info has been added._

He couldn't tell her that they're demanding Raph's execution for her release. That would make her even more upset. She'd already lost her uncles, grandpa, mother, aunt, and future cousins. That last part was especially sad. Did Raph know about that? He didn't mention them at all...maybe he truly didn't know, or...

He didn't want to confess killing an unborn child...even if the execution isn't carried out...he'd have to live with that fact, and...he'd lose the only family member he has left...That would surely take a toll on him so much that he'd possibly harm himself. Donnie saw all those scars and tears on him. Possibly from all the work he used to do. And Donnie couldn't let that happen. No matter what, he had to fix all of this...

And yet...

He still couldn't remember. Was his memory slowly not coming back to him? Or was something else in factor? He doesn't even remember not seeing Raph's face when his family died that day. Why is that? Why can't he remember?

Fishface returns with nothing and Rahzar doesn't turn to look at him. "What took you so long?" He hadn't said a word at all.

"I traveled the entire town in search of your food and drinks, my lord," Fishface says sarcastically. "But it's late, and all the shops are closed."

Rahzar turns to him. "We're leaving this place, right now."

"What?! But he's not here yet!" Fishface protests, looking annoyed. "If we couldn't meet at the restaurant, weren't we supposed to meet here?"

"Yes," Rahzar says sharply. "And he's the one who chose this location."

"Hmph! I don't like this one bit!" Fishface crosses his arms. "We have to run around doing all this 'extra' work, all for the sake of his 'deal!' "

"Shut up," Rahzar retorts and Fishface narrows his eyes bitterly. Donnie can just tell how much they hate each other. "It can't be helped. This place is too dangerous. I told you. My sixth sense is very strong."

"Alright...fine," Fishface grunts, but he didn't have to like it.

"I feel it...I sense something here, in this room..." Rahzar looks around before crossing his bony arms. "Is somebody there? Can you hear me?"

 _Is he talking to me?_

"I can sense your presence, you know. The next time I sense you, this child will die." Tori shakes a little as Rahzar opens his claws as a threat. "Remember that." He turns back to Fishface, staring at him knowingly before walking past the girl. "Alright, we're leaving." He opens the door and leaves. Fishface looks down at Tori.

"Pardon me, little lady." He goes to the front and pushes it down so that it closes, Tori dropping her book. He takes the handle and slowly drags it out of the house. Then the door closes and they're gone.

All of a sudden, he's left behind alone...Alone in the room that stole that little lady's smile away five years ago. The little lady is gone now, leaving him with only a few new facts...a few very heavy, very sad facts. Does April know about all this?

One other thing stands out in his mind... 'I can sense your presence.' ...The sum of that kidnapper's final words.

Do those two know?

Do the kidnappers know about the powers of the dead?

After all...there is absolute certainty that someone else besides Donnie has ghost tricks. He definitely didn't save Tori...

So who did?


	12. Chapter 12

_12:25 AM_

It looks like the kidnappers made a big mistake. The girl in the trunk was Raph's daughter, Tori...not the minister's daughter.

When he gets back to the justice minister's office, things are getting even more out of hand. The devastated man is being grilled by the fiery detective lady.

April slams her hands down on the desk, Bishop holding his head. He tells April what he had found out about the kidnapping...that it wasn't the justice minister's daughter who has been abducted.

...That the kidnappers had been holed up in Tori's old house...and that they sensed his presence and were already gone.

"But Tori?!" April covers her mouth in shock. "Why do they have Tori?! Her father isn't stupid old Bishop!"

"I think the 'stupid old' part is a little uncalled for...It looks like the kidnappers made a mistake somehow..." Donnie frowns at the threat he was given.

"The poor girl! Kidnapped for the ransom of her own father's execution...It's just too much!" April exclaims in horror.

"It's...a cruel twist of fate, I agree. And then there are those other twists, too...like the kidnappers' winding up in and using Tori's old house as their hideout..." Donnie rubs his chin.

"There's no way it could be just coincidence," April frowns at that.

"...And them sensing my presence," He points out. "They seem to know about the powers of the dead."

"I just don't understand any of it..." April says, shaking her head. "For them to know...Shredder would've told them...but then where did he get that information from?"

Bishop lifts up his head, looking dead-set serious. "I told you before, Detective. I want you to stand back."

She slams down her hands again. "Who cares about distance at a time like this?! Look, Mr. Bishop...it wasn't your daughter that was kidnapped!"

"Don't try to pretend you didn't hear what we were saying," Donnie speaks up, causing Bishop to shriek, standing up.

"H-How can I believe in you?! I'm a realist!"

"Please!" April begs, "If you don't believe what we say, see for yourself! Just call home and-"

"I tried calling a hundred times!" Bishop interrupts sharply. "My wife won't answer!"

"She won't...?" April asks in confusion since she doesn't know his marital problems.

"I-It's complicated...!" He stammers, pulling at his collar awkwardly. "Oh, why does life have to be such a complicated thing?!"

"But if she doesn't answer, doesn't that mean everything's normal..." April murmurs to herself.

"It doesn't prove it!" Bishop tells her, sitting back down as he adjusts his sunglasses. "And I'm being watched. I can't have the police go check for me. Besides...if the execution isn't carried out...the hostage will be killed! What difference does it make that it's not my daughter?!"

April sweats a little as Donnie did not mention that part. Probably to spare her. But it's pretty obvious that Bishop is not convinced, and will not be, unless he sees for himself that his daughter is fine.

"Whoo-whee! That's quite a piiickle, Mr. Bishop, quiiite a pickle."

They recognize that speech anywhere. The two turn around to see Casey standing there. "Miss me, baby?" He winks at April.

"Casey!" She exclaims in surprise. He strolls up to them, kicking his feet and doing his signature dance.

"I have a little repooort for you, Mr. Bishop." He bows so low that they couldn't even see his face. "The escaped prisoner has been apprehended. Thought you might like to see him, so here he is!" He stands up to his feet, turning to the entrance. He snaps his fingers and Raph comes in, escorted by two guards. April's eyes widen at the sight of him.

"Raph?!" She looks down. "Raph...I'm so sorry...! I tried-"

Raph looks shocked at her apology. She looks up at him. "I know that you're innocent! I just can't prove it...I'm so sorry..." A tear falls down her face and Raph says nothing, looking away from her face. He did not want her to shed tears for him.

"April...Please...Don't apologize to me..."

Casey turns around to April. "Ah, the beautiful love between a teacher and student. It brings a tear to my eye..."

April is silent as to her it sounds like Casey is bragging about his win. When did Casey start acting like this? She doesn't even know who he is anymore... "You knew, didn't you, Casey? That the execution was tonight..."

"I don't beliiieve I had any obligation to tell you," He crosses his arms stubbornly.

"And you're fine with this?" April accuses, narrowing her eyes. "I mean, you know as well as I do...Raph could never have done such a thing. Even if he was provoked to such a point..."

Casey starts laughing, shocking everyone. "Oh, come on, April. I knooow no such thing."

"H-Huh?" April stammers in disbelief at his reaction.

"I knooow two things to be true, and two things only. One: He was given the death penalty. And two: He triiied to escape. What else could I do but haul him in, Red?" He continues laughing and April clenches a fist.

"If that's the case...why did you bring him here?" April spits out and even though he's dead, Donnie can sense the tension. Casey seemed to be very close with Raph, his family, and April. But now...it's clear that he's already chosen his path.

"Whatever do you mean, April?" Casey looks uninterested.

"He escaped from prison, right? So why didn't you just take him back to the prison? I think...you only brought him here..." She looks up at him, glaring. "To brag about your accomplishment. Isn't that right, Inspector? For your own selfish reasons?" She really thought that Casey was their friend. How could he do this to them? Especially knowing that Splinter, Leo, Amy, and Mona would be disappointed in him? Leo and Amy were detectives too, after all. Casey was pretty close with them...well, actually, he was scared of Splinter due to a fear of rats, but he saw him as a second father. He might think of himself as high and mighty, but he would never actually sacrifice his friends just to get higher in the Special Investigation Unit. Not even when he was rivals with Raph for the spot.

Casey says nothing as she didn't even use his name that time. "So were all those rumors about you true? That the only thing you care about is a spotless record? Is that more important to you than saving a friend?"

There's silence for a few seconds as Casey shows no emotion on his face. "Everybody has certain principles they caaan't go back on...including me," He states, "You'll understand that someday, Red."

April looks away from him as she didn't want to see his face anymore. Not with what he's trying to do...

"That's enough, April."

Raph steps up to her, looking dead serious. "But, Raph!" April protests as there's still time to find evidence. Raph did not do this. She fully believed that.

"I'm a death-row inmate who escaped from prison. This is how it should be," He says simply and Donnie stares at him like he's crazy. Is Raphael really giving up? Surely, he still couldn't think that he killed four people and an unborn child...Raph might be impulsive, but he was still loyal. Donnie could understand that he didn't want anyone to pity him, but...did he really think people wouldn't understand the truth? Even April? Why let everyone believe that he's a murderer instead of accepting fate?

"B-But...!" April stammers before she looks sad that Raph has no faith. Donnie decides to step in and try to appeal to Raph himself. He didn't know what exactly it would do, but...he had to do something. He may not remember anything, but having a family...having an exciting life...he wanted to learn more. He wants to know who he is, and Raph is probably the only one who can tell him more. He is grateful to April, but...he didn't want to impose on her. For some reason, with April, he just can't talk to her anymore about his past life. Because...

Whenever April's around...he could feel his heart beating...and his face turning red...

Was he sick? He didn't think so, he's dead. But...he likes her warm touch. Even though he's a ghost...he still could feel. With April, he could feel emotions and touch...and only April can do that for him...until he figures out what's wrong with him, he's not asking her any more personal questions about himself.

"So Don, we meet again," Raph smiles weakly at Donnie's presence. "I hear something happened...something about a kidnapping...?"

"Some kidnappers are saying they abducted Bishop's daughter," Donnie tells him simply as he doesn't want to overwhelm Raph right away. He's already giving up on his life...

"That's terrible. What's their demand?" Raph crosses his arms, frowning a little. As much as he wanted this execution, he didn't think that a girl would be kidnapped tonight. He won't admit it, but...he has a soft spot for children. He definitely didn't think that an innocent girl deserved to be kidnapped. If he wasn't being watched, he'd go out and take down those kidnappers himself.

"The carrying out of your execution...tonight," Donnie tells him and he laughs.

"I had no idea I was so hated! But old Bishop doesn't have to worry. I die, and it's all over. Very simple."

"It's NOT that simple!" April shouts and he turns to her.

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't really Bishop's daughter who got kidnapped...it's Tori!" April explains and he looks up in shock and disbelief.

"Wh-What?! Tori...?"

"I checked it out for myself. I'm positive. I'm...so sorry," Donnie frowns at him.

"NO! It can't be!" Raph holds his head at the thought of Tori being kidnapped. That wasn't supposed to happen...Tori was supposed to be safe.

"And, by the way, Tori told me something interesting. She said the one who killed her family five years ago...was Tori herself," Donnie reveals, April's mouth opening in shock. Tori, a little girl, killed five people?

"What?! What are you talking about?"

"Don't listen to him!" Raph screams and Donnie frowns a little as he could potentially lose Raph's trust, but the truth needed to be heard. "I'm the one who shot them! I'm the one who shot Splinter, Leonardo, Amelia, Mona, and an unborn child! And when I'm executed tonight," Raph grits his teeth. "That will be the end of it. Tori...won't have to suffer any more after tonight!"

"Amy was pregnant?" April covers her mouth in shock, tears threatening to fall.

"For a capable detective, you say some incredibly misguided things," Donnie says honestly, causing Raph to stare at him. Donnie frowns at the thought of what would happen if Tori found out her father is dead. "You dying isn't going to end that girl's suffering. It'll just bring her new suffering. The only person's pain this execution is going to ease...is yours."

Raph looks shocked that Donnie figured that out. And that he was right. He just wanted all of this to end...Tori wouldn't have had to worry about anything...and his family could live in peace knowing that their killer was dead...but it wasn't true. None of it was. And he can't bring himself to come into terms that his own daughter...murdered his family. If they were talking to him like Donnie was now, surely they'd blame him...turn on him...

"I-Is it true...?" April stammers, covering her mouth. No wonder why she didn't know what happened. "What Tori said...?"

Raph says nothing to confirm or deny it. "Why don't you tell us what you know?" Donnie asks softly, as they deserved to know the truth. He hugs April to console her.

"...Ta be honest, I still don't understand what happened that day..." Raph closes his eyes. "It was my wife's-Mona's-birthday. We all came home from work, and she went in first with the others."

 _The gunshot was heard as Mona laid on the floor. "Mona!" Amy cried out as Leo and Splinter's mouths were wide open in horror. They heard another click, looking up as they were all shot. Tori rushed out of her hiding spot, tears falling down her face as she bent down to them._

 _"Mom! Uncle Leo! Aunt Amy! Grandpa Splinter!" She cried out._

 _"What was that noise?!" Raph stormed in, shocked to see the bodies on the floor._

"I looked for the shooter, but there was nobody to be found...There was nobody there besides Tori, Mona, Leo, Amy, and Master Splinter...just the six of them."

 _So the little lady's entire family died right in front of her..._

"Oh, my..." April sweats a little. "That's so horrible...!"

"Tori told me about it," Raph kept his eyes closed as he could still hear the ring of those gunshots. "She was crying. She said the contraption she made did something it wasn't supposed to, made an impossible move."

"An impossible move...?" Donnie asks slowly.

"It's been five years since then. I stopped thinking about it," Raph sighs slowly. "I shot them. There's no other explanation. That's what I'd convinced everyone of—even me," He then opens his eyes to look at Donnie. "But, tonight, you showed up and gave me an explanation I never would've thought of before."

"The powers of the dead, right?" Donnie questions as to be honest, he didn't think he could even have powers like that, either.

"That day, in that room, powers that I didn't understand were at work," Raph narrows his eyes. "And, if that's the case, it clears up all the mysteries."

"Maybe not at all. There are a couple of other people who know about those powers," Donnie points out.

 _Rahzar stood there in Tori's old house. "Is somebody there? Can you hear me? I can sense your presence, you know."_

"The kidnappers who abducted Tori knew about those powers..."

"This is no ordinary kidnapping," Raph grits his teeth. The same kidnappers who knew about ghost tricks kidnapped the daughter of the turtle that's expected to be executed tonight. Obviously, whoever's behind all this is out for Raph. And it's most likely true that they have ghost tricks as well. After all, no one else knew about this except for Donnie, April, Raph, and Mikey. And Donnie definitely didn't tell those two kidnappers anything about them. "It looks like my family's case isn't coming to an end after all. I'm the only one who thought it was."

"Raph..." April tries not to cry at his confession.

"There's still time before dawn...a little, anyway," Donnie smiles gently at Raph. "How about you see this case to the end before you...die?" He holds out his hand and Raph is silent before he shakes Donnie's hand slowly.

"...Tori was a quiet little girl, but she was good with her hands. She was a little genus at making elaborate toys and contraptions. She even made a few for Amy's baby...But there were two very strange points about that contraption."

"The first was, of course, the firing of that gun," April murmurs as she wondered why it was set to go off in the first place.

"Right," Raph nods at her. "That was an antique gun I'd had on display for years."

"So it wasn't part of the little lady's original design..." Donnie says.

"Of course it wasn't! It was supposed to be a surprise for her mother!" April frowns at the thought. That was definitely a horrible birthday.

"And the other strange point was the movement of that Cupid," Raph crosses his arms, snarling.

"Cupid...?" April asks as she tries to remember.

 _The box was lifted up by the moving ceiling fan, revealing the cake. The tennis ball moved from the bowl, hitting the statue. It fell onto four other statues until the last one hit the wheel. The wheel spun, revealing the Cupid. The arrow captured the flame from the candle._

"It was supposed to shoot its arrow without turning around."

 _The Cupid fired the arrow, lighting the candles and setting off the party poppers in the process._

"Somebody made a change to the contraption's design, and then manipulated it..."

"I don't know what to say..." April murmurs in shock as she didn't think this was even a possibility. At least, not when she started investigating this case. Never she would've thought that this had to deal with the same amount of powers that Donnie has...

"I didn't have time to think things through then," Raph looks away. "All I knew was I had to protect Tori. I made a small 'adjustment' to the scene, and turned myself in."

"What kind of adjustment?" April questions in confusion.

"The gun, of course."

 _The gun, eh? Come to think of it..._

 _Looking back at that house, there was no gun there._

"...There was no gun there. Just a picture hanging on the wall," Donnie recalls.

"Of course not, because I secretly switched the gun out of that frame with the picture," Raph reveals. "I didn't believe what she told me about her contraption. But one thing was for certain. That gun was still smoking."

"So that gun really DID shoot Mona, Leo, Amy, Splinter...and the unborn baby..." April says in shock.

"I hid the gun before I went to the police."

"You hid it?" April looks curious.

"I put it in a wooden box and gave it to a certain detective."

"What?! Y-You mean...?!" April asks slowly.

"And that detective still thinks it's a music box," Raph smirks at her.

"So that's what was in the box, huh?" April murmurs in disbelief that she didn't figure this out.

"I got a different murder weapon ready to give to the police—my own pistol." He closes his eyes at the memory, as he didn't think he'd ever have to tell anyone. In fact, this is the first time he's ever said a thing about it. "And I did a few other things to make it look good. I won't go into the details...When I was all done, I turned myself in."

After the truth, April looks up at Raph, back in the real world. "Raph...is what you told us just now true?"

"Yeah, of course," Raph tells her to Casey's confusion. Either he had cotton in his ears, or he's going crazy. He definitely did not hear anything...

April clenches her fists, determined. Bishop just sits there as he's not paying attention to anyone or anything. "In that case, there's still time!"

"Still time?" Raph and Casey stare at her. The turtle's not aware where exactly that box is. And April's not gonna tell him, for the police would find it first and she needed it. It was the last thing they have as evidence.

"Time to solve the case that started five years ago!" She declares, holding her hands together. "You didn't do it, Raph. And, of course, little Tori didn't do it, either. So the true perpetrator is still out there. And I'm going to prove it! For Tori's sake!"

Raph looks down at the floor before he looks up at April, smiling a little. "That sounds wonderful."

She looks surprised that he sounds so positive. "Thank you, Raph!"

"April! Where is that music box now?" Raph asks, Casey wondering if this is a secret language or something along the lines.

"In Heart of Darkness Park. Tori left it there!" She tells him and he stands up, looking at her playfully.

"That gun is important evidence. You'd better go pick it up."

April smiles at his cooperation and faith. "Yes, sir! I'll go right now!" She then looks up at the ceiling. "Donnie, take care of Raph! And do something about the kidnapping, so we can get Bishop on our side!"

"And yet again, I say, easy enough for you to say," Donnie replies back with a wink and she smiles softly before she stakes off, leaving Casey curious as he stares after her. Donnie travels back to the medicine bottle.

"Whaaat's going on? Deal me the deal, Mr. Death-Row Inmate," He crosses his arms and Raph just shrugs carelessly.

"A little change in plans. My daughter has been kidnapped. I can't just go off to die without doing something about it."

"Buuut you're in our custody, don't forget..." Casey reminds him. "Back at the prison, everybody's waitin' for you, with a special seat just for you, Raph."

"Then I guess we'd better prove my innocence on the double," Raph smiles in amusement.

"On the double, is it? You sound sooo determined, my old friend," Casey smirks at him and Raph just crosses his arms at those last three words.

"Let's get this straight, bonehead. We stopped being friends when ya didn't show up to visit me. I want ta save Tori...in more ways than one. And that's all there is to it." Deep down, he doesn't want his daughter to suffer for his choices. And he was not going to sit here and let her be in the hands of the kidnappers...not while he's still around.

"I see, my old friend...in more ways than one..." Casey can immediately tell what Raph meant by that. He does his little dance and Raph shakes his head at him. Casey then turns to Bishop, who has been silent this entire time. "What saaay you, Mr. Bishop? May we have your decision?"

He doesn't notice it, but Raph is glaring at him for how he's asking permission. Bishop looks up at being addressed and turns to Casey.

"Should the execution be carried out toniiight, as planned? Or should we hold off, and wait for this 'important evidence' to come in?"

Bishop holds his head. "...The order still stands. Bring the prisoner back immediately and resume its enforcement."

Casey bows to him like the same way he did before. "As you wish, your excellency." If Raph would, he'd smack him on the head, but since it's not looking good for him right now, he'd rather not add anymore to the roster.

"Please! Don't bow down to me!" Bishop's voice sounds strained. "And especially not that low!"

Casey gets back up on his feet. "In that case, can Casey Jones have one of your boooys arrange a prison van to pick him up?" He turns to the guard on Raph's left. "Would you be so kind?" The guard salutes at him.

"Yes, sir!" He then turns around and leaves the room. Donnie couldn't help but notice that all the guards he's seen walk in a weird way, and Casey is no exception. Casey brings a chair out of nowhere, spinning it on the ground. He opens it up and sits down, leaning against it casually. He crosses his legs, arms crossed.

"The can should take about ten minutes, I'm guessing. Your escape tonight was briiilliant. Will ya show me another miracle in these last few minutes of yours, Mr. Death-Row Inmate?"

Raph doesn't answer, as Casey kept shoving the fact that Raph's on death-row down his throat. He would've thought that Casey could've been a little more understanding and not so much as a jerk. Donnie moves over to the phone and uses the phonebook to get to Cassandra, Bishop's wife, and her apartment. He travels using the telephone line. When he arrives, Chloe is still sick in bed like before.

"Just as I thought...this little girl is safe in her bed."

As Cassandra is typing, Chloe sits up, coughing harshly into her fist. It's a little odd that she's still up despite it being late. Must've been her mother's typing keeping her up.

Murder...execution...jailbreak...betrayal...and now kidnapping...This last link in the long chain of a sad fate lit a fire in Raph's heart...And the chance to turn it all around was right there in that room.

Ten minutes is not a lot of time for Donnie to figure out a way to get Chloe to call.

He's getting a strange premonition. Everything that happened so far tonight has related back to him in some way...

And he bet this mistaken-ridden abduction does, too...


	13. Chapter 13

_12:51 AM_

He visited the novelist's, Cassandra's, apartment again. He's hoping to be able to do something about this 'mistaken identity' kidnapping. As long as there's any possibility that it could be his own daughter who was kidnapped...

He doubts Bishop will call off the execution tonight.

Chloe coughs as she sits up, sounding sicker than before. The key to dispelling Bishop's doubts is now in bed, coughing. And he needs to use this key, before that prison van arrives to pick up the death-row inmate.

The girl coughs and Cassandra hears it, standing up and walking over to her daughter. "My darling angel! Oh, just listen to that cough! You naughty thing! Did you leave your nice warm bed to go out into the night to play? A daughter after my own heart! But, I must confess, I didn't even notice you were gone!" She tips her glass in the air and Chloe stops coughing, turning to her.

"I didn't go out to play!" She denies, "I went to buy Papa a birthday present!" She looks up at the lighter that was not there when Donnie was here earlier. "He said he wanted a new lighter."

"But that's no reason to go out this late at night!" Cassandra scolds her. Chloe turns to her slowly.

"But my fever finally went down! I could barely move before that..." She resumes her coughing.

"But look what it brought you! Your fever is worse now than ever. Here is to the feverish passion of my darling angel!" She clinks the glass in the air and Chloe looks up at her again.

"Mama?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Let's call Papa and wish him a happy birthday! Even though it's already past midnight..." Chloe suggests and Cassandra says nothing for a minute.

"Not tonight, Chloe." She turns around and walks back to her desk.

"I hate you!" Chloe declares and hides underneath her blanket.

"It looks like this little girl was safe all along," Donnie sounds a little relieved. A _t least one girl was no longer in danger... I already knew that, but I'm still relieved, all the same._ "And there's another lucky development, too. Chloe wants to call her father." _Now, if I can just make use of that feeling somehow...That would surely bring Bishop around!_

He goes to the lighter, since it's the only thing he can reach right now. He does a trick on it, which causes the lighter to light up. The second shelf holding the phone falls and the phone slides right next to Chloe. She hears the noise and sits up, seeing it in shock.

"The phone!" She picks up the receiver and starts to call, but Cassandra notices her and walks over. She places a hand on her hip.

"Chloe, I told you you couldn't call him tonight!" She says sharply.

"Why not?!" Chloe exclaims in protest.

"Listen to me, Chloe," Cassandra says slowly. "Your father is about to make a big mistake. I want him to reconsider." Is...is she talking about Raph's execution? So deep down...she really does have a soft spot for people.

"What do you know about it, Mama? He's the one who's the justice minister, you know!" Chloe argues, "All you do is write weird novels! I'm not even your real daughter, you only adopted me because you can't have children!"

Cassandra takes those words in before her anger boils within her. She pulls out her wine bottle, slamming it down on the bed as her hair unravels, looking wild. Chloe's eyes widen as she moves back a little. "What do you mean, 'weird'?! How dare you disparage my romantic expressions? Now you've really made me angry. You really have! How do you expect me to forgive such an insult?!" Her hair turns back to normal as she puts away the bottle. She snatches the phone and puts it on the top shelf where Chloe can't reach. Chloe reaches out to it, falling back on her bed in defeat. Cassandra storms back to her desk.

"I hate you!" Chloe shouts and Cassandra moves her desk all the way a few feet in front of Chloe's bed.

"There! I'll be keeping my eye on you now, so you won't do anything else mischievous! Like calling your father!"

"I hate you!" Chloe yells again and this time, she meant it.

"I can hear you, you know!" Cassandra retorts back and Chloe hides back under her blanket with a huff. Since he's in the lighter, he moves to the trash can and then to the light, and then to the clock. He goes up to the ceiling and sees a rat hiding above a latch. He does a trick to let the rat loose and it hangs onto the pendulum. Donnie travels to the clock and makes it chime. Cassandra looks up and sees the little pest.

"Well, well. Having a good time, are we, little rodent?" She stands up, pulling out her bottle. She smacks it away. "Sweet dreams!" It lands right back in the ceiling, but it lands on a valve. In the process, she hit the candle stick that's on the wall, tilting it slightly. "Did you fancy the vintage, my whiskered friend?" She clinks her glass again and sits back down. She goes back to typing and Donnie travels to the valve. He makes it spin so that the rat hits the ground, but it gets electrocuted instead. Donnie cringes as he didn't think that would happen. Plus, his father was technically a rat, so he felt a little bad. Smoke comes from the rat and the power goes out. The only thing lighting the room is the light on Cassandra's desk.

"Oh, heavens! A blackout, at a critical time like this?! Of course, dim lights suit my story of love very well, but...I, myself, am not very fond of the dark." She stands up and pulls down the hoist. The chandelier lands right behind her. "This chandelier just narrowly missed the back of my head! I love the thrill of romance, but I don't need these kinds of thrills!"

She lights up a match and uses it to light the candles from the chandelier. She drops the match into her glass and goes to the hoist. She turns it rapidly, causing the chandelier to lift back up. Cassandra sits back down in her chair.

"Ah! What a wonderful atmosphere! Perfect for a clandestine meeting in the dusky twilight."

Donnie needs to have her unable to move so she can't reach the phone. He moves to the latch near the chandelier and releases it, causing the rat's tail to fall ever so slightly. He moves to the dictionary and then to the hoist that controls the chandelier. He tricks it, causing the chandelier to fall down right behind Cassandra.

"What a naughty chandelier!" She gets up with a huff and walks back to the hoist. She turns it so that the chandelier goes back up to the ceiling. Now, he just has to time this properly...

He makes the chandelier fall again, but Cassandra swoops down and avoids it like she's a freaking ninja. Donnie's mouth opens in shock at her move and she stands up.

"Such insolence!" She spins the hoist again and Donnie makes it fall down on her, this time trapping her inside the chandelier. "Eeeeeeek!" She struggles between the candles, which are luckily not close enough to touch her. "Chloe! Chloe, help me!" She calls out and Chloe looks up from her bed, her mouth opening in shock.

"Mama!"

She tries to get up, but she's too sick. She drops her head. "I'm sorry, Mama. I'm too dizzy. I can't get up. I'm afraid I can't help you right now."

"Ah ha ha!" Cassandra laughs nervously, "Here is to the weakness of my darling angel!" She clinks her glass again despite being stuck there. She continues struggling.

"That chandelier is on there tighter than her wedding band," Donnie murmurs, "She won't be able to escape on her own." Which means that she can't stop Chloe now from calling her father. He does a trick to make the chandelier pull her up to the ceiling.

"Help! Help! Help!" She shrieks as her legs flail around. "Whaaat?! What is going on here?! Chloe! Look! Do you see this?! Help me, please!"

Chloe groans weakly. "Sorry. I'm too sick. I can't get out of bed. My head is spinning...So I guess you'll just have to stay up there spinning, too." To her, this is karma.

Donnie moves to the dictionary, then the latch, and then to the chandelier. He makes the candles burn brighter and Cassandra freaks out, swinging around. Since the rat's tail is still in the room, the tail catches on fire. From the chandelier, Donnie travels up to the valve, to the other latch, and then back to the light on the desk.

"If I recall, the novelist said she didn't like the dark. I don't want her thrashing around any more than is already..." _I'd better not put out this lamp right now._

The rat wakes up as it was only unconscious, running to the other side and falling onto the pendulum. Its tail swings around, but not close enough to light the candle stick. Donnie moves up to the pendulum from the clock and swings it faster, lighting up the candle stick and also lighting up the whole room. The candle stick burns the string from the shelf and the phone falls back onto Chloe's bed.

"Mama!" She calls out as she doesn't know what's going on.

"Wh-What in the WORLD is going on here?!" Cassandra demands as she looks scared out of her mind. She continues to struggle in her trap.

A few minutes later, she's calmed down and stopped moving. She's still stuck, but she's silent as Chloe looks up at her. "Oh, goodie." She smiles happily. "Excuse me a minute while I call Papa, okay, Mama? I'll only be a minute," She picks up the receiver and dials the office.

"Aaagh!" Cassandra shouts in protest as Chloe waits for her father to pick up. "Don't you dare, Chloe! I won't have it!"

Donnie moves from the lamp to the trashcan to the lighter and then to the phone. He watches as Bishop is still in his chair, still looking upset. Cassandra starts struggling again as she's yelling.

"Hello? Papa?" Chloe asks happily.

He gasps sharply at her voice, almost dropping the phone as he stands up. "Chloe!" He shouts in relief. "Is that you?!"

"Of course it is, silly. What did you think?" Chloe giggles at him.

"But I heard—they said you were-!" He stammers, before he sits down, realizing that he's hearing her voice and that she's not in danger. And he's not going to tell her that either. "...No, never mind. It's nothing..."

"Silly ol' Papa," She smiles gently, "Happy birthday, Papa!"

"Birthday...?" He asks in confusion. With all the craziness that was going on tonight, he didn't realize the date. "Oh, right. It was my birthday today, wasn't it?"

"I'm sorry we couldn't celebrate tonight," She says solemnly. "Thanks to mean ol' Mama..."

He sits up at the mention of her. "Oh! Your mean ol' Mama...! I mean, your mother! What is she up to right now?!" He was hoping to appeal to her. It wasn't like her to let Chloe answer the phone. Ever since he's been calling, it's always been her answering.

"Well, she's certainly 'up' alright..." Chloe grins at her joke. "My stubborn mother is kind of tied up at the moment..."

"Get me down!" Cassandra shouts and Chloe looks up at her.

"She needs to be taught a lesson for causing us so much trouble." She's tired of her mother bossing her around and not letting them be together as a family anymore.

"No, Chloe..." Bishop pauses as he has to find out how to tell her so that she'd understand. He finally realized that this execution shouldn't be reflected off of the safety of his daughter. "I'm the one who was wrong."

"Huh?" Chloe asks in confusion as she looks away from her mother.

"Could you tell your mother I'm sorry?"

"What do you have to be sorry about?" Chloe questions.

"I was just about to make a terrible mistake." Donnie cheers as he pumps his fist. "But it's alright now." Bishop smiles gently.

"Oh...Okay..." Chloe replies slowly.

"You're still young. There's a lot I can't tell you right now. The job of justice minister is very complicated, you see."

"Okay," She recites knowingly.

"But just remember...you're always the most important thing to your mother and me." She says nothing as she takes that in. "Did you do something naughty to your mother? If you did, I want you to apologize."

"I don't THINK I did anything..." She murmurs in confusion as she hasn't gotten up from her spot. But then she smiles. "But, okay. I'll apologize."

"That's a good girl," Bishop smiles softly.

"Okay, Papa. Have a good night. I love you!" She tells him.

"I love you too, Chloe. Good night, sweetheart."

She hangs up the phone and looks up to her struggling mother still in the chandelier. "Um...Mama...? I'm sorry."

Cassandra's eyes widen at her. "My goodness! Why the sudden change?"

"I...I guess I was wrong about you. I didn't understand."

"Oh, Chloe..." Cassandra smiles softly and Chloe looks away.

"I thought all you ever did was write these weird novels..."

"That makes me a little sad..." Cassandra confesses as she takes pride in her writing.

"Papa said the job of justice minister was complicated," Chloe smiles as she recites what her father just told her.

"Yes, your father's job is very, very complicated and difficult. That's why I couldn't talk to you about most of it. But you're right. I shouldn't treat you like such a little girl anymore. You're growing up, after all."

Chloe smiles back, looking up at her mother. "And I promise to stop calling your novels 'weird' and try actually reading them."

"What?!" Cassandra sweats a little. Her books were definitely not for children. "Oh, uh...Maybe you'd better wait until you're a little older for that..."

"Tsk. Oh, okay..." Chloe pouts slightly.

"So, Chloe, if you're feeling a little more charitable toward your ol' Mama...do you think you could let me down now...?"

"You know, I would LOVE to do that..." Chloe gives her mother a smile, "But I'm just feeling too dizzy and sick right now..." She looks disorientated as her head falls down on the pillow.

"Tonight, on this holiest of nights—my deadline...it looks like the only thing pressing on me will be this chandelier," Cassandra sighs slowly at her predicament. "Here is to Papa and Mama's darling angel!" She clinks her glass, still struggling a little. Unfortunately, it's just too tight for her to slip out.

Donnie smiles at the reunion. All of a sudden, everybody is getting along again. It's such an abrupt change...he can't understand it. Is this what 'family' is all about? If it was, he and Raph definitely don't at like that—not that he would want to.

In any case, the situation has changed dramatically now. He just hopes the mysterious of him can be cleared up as quickly as the furrows on Bishop's brow...

He doesn't know where his niece Tori is...but at least now Bishop's doubts are dispelled. He should go back to his office, where everybody is waiting for the prison van.

Bishop's family now has their smiles and harmony back. But Tori is still in the hands of the kidnappers...He decided to go back to Bishop's office.

When he arrives back, surprisingly, the minister's brow is still just as furrowed as ever. Quite unlike a father who has just learned his daughter is safe...he seems to still be in the depths of despair. The atmosphere in this room is very different now. It seems to have an air of unfocused anxiety. He gets the feeling something big is gonna happen...

Bishop looks up from his desk, turning to Casey and Raph. "I just found out that my daughter is safe. I'd like to express my gratitude. Thank you. Thank you for my daughter's sake, and for mine."

Casey does his little dance. "No need to thaaank us, Mr. Bishop. It was nothing."

 _What did HE do?_

Raph rolls his eyes at the inspector. "But one question...I can't heeelp but notice...Your daughter is safe...and yet, you still look unhappy. How about a little smiiile for us?" Casey grins and Bishop groans in agony. "Of cooourse, there is still the matter of the other kidnapping victim..." Raph frowns at the mention of that. "But is that really the only thing that troubles you, Mr. Bishop?"

Bishop recoils back in surprise at the sudden question. While he is glad his daughter is safe and sound, he still can't call off the execution, as long as Tori is in the hands of the kidnappers. He covers his eyes with his hands.

"Please, let me think in peace, until the prison van arrives."

He needs some answers, so Donnie decides to talk to Bishop himself. "Hello, Mr. Bishop."

Bishop says nothing at his arrival. "How about you finally admit I do exist?"

"...That 'thank you' I expressed..." Bishop starts off. "That was meant for you."

Donnie could only stare in shock that Bishop isn't freaking out...and sounds grateful...

"You're a ghost, aren't you? And Raphael's brother? And you have the power to control and manipulate people, don't you?" Bishop asks him.

"No, I don't have that kind of power. I can't control you. But yes...Raphael is my brother...one of them, anyway. They say my name is Donatello, Donnie for short," Donnie looks down solemnly at Raph's supposed fate that's awaiting him and the fact that he still doesn't remember.

"Yes, I remember the other one had been killed...along with your sister-in-law and father. We've actually known, you know...for quite a while now...But I had no idea they were the powers of the dead, of ghosts..."

"Known? Known about what?" Donnie asks curiously.

"We knew about the existence of somebody who could control others—a manipulator," Bishop elaborates and Raph suddenly steps in.

"What's this?!" He demands as he didn't know anything about this.

"That's why your execution order caused me so much anguish, Raphael."

"Mr. Bishop," Raph crosses his arms. "Why don't you just tell us everything you know?"

"Yes, I suppose I should," Bishop nods in agreement. "You need to hear it all...all about the huge mistake this foolish man made...There are some cases in this country right now that are under a top-secret investigation. Of course, you wouldn't have known about them, Raphael."

"Right," Raph smiles in amusement. "They don't share too much top-secret information with the inmates in prison..."

"There are three prisoners, including you, in the Special Prison you just escaped from. All three cases have certain points in common while the others are linked to terrorism," Bishop continues and Raph smirks.

"They do, do they? Tell us more."

"The rock warthog singer who leaked national secrets in his lyrics during a TV broadcast. The curry-loving rhino who took the chief commissioner hostage at the Metro Police Department. Neither of these mutants had a motive for their crime. And both of their crimes were...impossible."

"Impossible...?" Raph asks in confusion and Donnie remembers that he didn't go over this with Raph, he only heard this from the guards and April.

"The curry lover rhino had no way of knowing how to infiltrate the commissioner's office," Bishop has a serious look as he crosses his arms. "And the rock singer warthog had no way of the national secrets he leaked. The Special Investigation Unit submitted an investigative report to me on them. They concluded that these men's criminal acts were not of their own volition."

"But how could that be...?" Raph is, needless to say, puzzled, and Donnie is inclined to agree.

"The theory the Unit camp up with was the existence of a manipulator," He puts in air quotes at the last word.

"A manipulator, huh...?" Donnie murmurs to himself. Someone like him, perhaps? But that'd be impossible...

"That's when the Special Prison was established as a facility to research that theory. Some unknown power has been at work. These past several years, Inspector Jones has been studying these cases."

"He has, has he?" Raph narrows his eyes at that. If he was inspecting the two others, that means he's been inspecting him as well. Funny how Casey didn't mention that little detail to him. That must've been why he was outside the prison when Raph escaped.

"Manipulating somebody into committing a criminal act...according to the inspector...the first case of its kind was a locked room murder involving our nation's best detective," Bishop continues and Raph grins at him.

"Are you trying to say I was manipulated somehow into shooting my entire family? I appreciate the theory, but unfortunately...I don't recall being 'controlled' by anybody. Whoever did is in for a pounding." Raph punches his fist into his hand. "It's just not possible to manipulate another's behavior like that."

 _My powers certainly don't work on living creatures..._

"That's what I thought when I first heard the theory, too. However...I was seriously mistake, and it proved to be a big mistake."

"What...?!" Raph asks in shock.

"You mentioned a 'mistake.' Could you tell us about it?" Donnie stares at Bishop curiously and he keeps silent for a few seconds. Everyone deserved to know the truth, whether he liked it or not.

"...I suppose everybody here has the right to know. Alright, fine. I'll speak out loud so that Inspector Jones can hear this, too." He stands up, turning around and holding his hands from behind. He heaves a sigh before he begins. "There's something I'd like the two of you to hear. It's about a mistake I made."

Raph and Casey glance to each other, wondering what Bishop could've done. "Inspector Jones, when you first made that report about a 'manipulator'...I'm afraid I didn't believe at all. 'Impossible,' I thought."

"Perfectly understaaandable, Mr. Bishop," Casey nods slowly.

"But...I was wrong. That kind of power does exist. And I...I learned the truth of that firsthand."

"What's thiiis...?" Casey asks slowly.

"A month ago, I signed the order to carry out Detective Raphael's execution. However...that act wasn't of my own volition. I was being controlled."

Casey gasps sharply. "What?! You never told me about this, Mr. Bishop!"

 _Bishop was signing papers as usual, but he suddenly froze. His hands were shaking as he pulled out the next document, the order for Raph's execution. "What's going on? Th-This document...What am I doing?!" His right hand shook as it raised, a pen in hand._

 _"No! I mustn't...sign it...!" He grabbed his arm to have it stop, but he signed it anyway. He dropped the pen as he tried to regain control of himself, but he couldn't. His hands raised as they clapped to summon one of the guards. He walked over and saw nothing out of the ordinary._

 _Bishop took the document and held it out. The guard took it easily. "Wait! Don't deliver...that document...!" The guard didn't listen as he walked off with the paper._

"That's when it started. That's when all of my fear, despair, and suffering began," He sighs a little. "At the time, it didn't even cross my mind that I had been manipulated. And my memory of the event was only hazy, at best."

 _Hmm, so the memory of being manipulated doesn't clearly remain, eh...?_

"Signing execution orders is part of a justice minister's job. At the time...I just thought my psyche was rebelling against the task. But the next day, it dawned on me. I remembered Inspector Jones' report on the existence of a manipulator."

 _Bishop looked stressed as he sat in his office._ "As a minister of justice, I couldn't admit what had happened to me. 'I only signed the execution order because I was being controlled.' If something like that got out, this nation's judicial system would crumble! Besides, I had no evidence to present that I had actually been controlled. So, in the end, I couldn't admit to anybody what happened..."

"Hmm...I suppose...but it sounds a bit like an excuse," Casey frowns a little. "You should've at least told us, Mr. Bishop."

"Yes! Yes, I know...I should have. I was...running away from the problem"

 _Cassandra walked up to him, actually looking concerned for once._ "And then my wife found out I was worried about something."

"Well, if you go around with an expression like that, I guess it's bound to happen..." Donnie comments, as it wasn't exactly well-hidden.

"I explained it to her, and she was dead set against the way I was handling it."

 _Cassandra slowly raised a fist, slamming it on the desk. Bishop recoiled back in shock. Her hair was wild as it was out of its bun. "If you don't withdraw that order and tell everyone the truth immediately, I'm moving out!"_

"And then, with the kidnapping tonight...with it thrust under my nose like that, I could no longer deny my mistake. This 'manipulator comes upon us from somewhere unseen. That's why I've been keeping my distance from everybody."

"So that's why you've been telling people to 'stay back'..." Donnie says in understanding. It's so that Bishop won't have to experience that again...and make him drive more people away like his wife.

So there's somebody else besides him with the powers of the dead. He's fine with that. After all, he already knew about a certain desk lamp and stop sign...

What he's not fine with is the fact that person can control and manipulate living creatures. That's certainly not something he can do. Apparently, different ghosts get different ghost tricks...

"But I never imagined that tonight...I would find out where this kind of power comes from," Bishop continues, Casey and Raph interested more than ever.

"Where it comes from...?" Casey asks slowly. Bishop slowly turns around so that he's facing them.

"Inspector Jones...this 'manipulator is a ghost, a departed spirit."

"A spirit...?!" Casey questions in disbelief.

"As a matter of fact, there's a ghost talking to us right now," Bishop looks at Raph, who looks away. He's grateful that he can talk to Donnie...but his brother is still dead.

"Wha...What did you say?!" Casey shouts, "Raph! Don't tell me you can hear this ghost, too?!"

Raph just shrugs. "I'd say the only person who CAN'T hear Donnie is you."

"Spirit...? Ghost...? Donnie...?" He didn't think he'd ever hear those words in the same day. "Oh my god..." He straightens himself up. "Excuse me, Mr. Bishop. I suddenly have some urgent business to attend to! I recommend you think long and hard before making your final decision, sir." He turns around and leaves quickly, to their surprise.

"Inspector!" Bishop calls out, but Casey leaves anyway. The phone suddenly rings and Bishop answers it. It's April on the phone, and it looks like she's in Heart of Darkness Park.

"This is April! I'm at the park!" She says as soon as Bishop picks up.

"We've been waiting to hear from you! Have you found the evidence?" Bishop wonders and April glances away for a few seconds, turning back to the receiver.

"Well, uh...the situation here is...it's kind of difficult to explain...Donnie! If you're there, come to the park immediately!" And with that, she hangs up. Bishop puts the phone down and looks up.

"It looks like your help is needed, Donatello."

"Yeah, I guess so, huh?" Donnie glances at Raph, who gestures for him to go. He takes his leave to Heart of Darkness Park.

April calls, and he obliges. He takes off toward Heart of Darkness Park...the place where clearly, something big is taking place.

The manipulator...the person whose very existence sheds new light on everything:

Raph's 'crime,' the execution orders, and even...his own death. Could it be...? Could April have been...

Manipulated into shooting him?


	14. Chapter 14

**Angel: Like with chapter 7, this is also really long. I recommend you read it because there are major spoilers here.**

 _1:28 AM_

Heart of Darkness Park, the site of the little lady Tori's abduction tonight...and the place where an important piece of evidence, the music box, was hidden.

When he arrives, April is still alive, thankfully, but she's looking over a leaf sadly. He wonders why his lady detective is looking so dejected? At least she isn't dead...but what did she find...?

Donnie moves to the leaflet nearby and then to the delivery box. Wait a minute. He looks to see Murakami using the swing. "Huh? What's he doing here?"

Murakami starts singing out loud and April doesn't even look up at it. Looking at the delivery box, it's not even hot. _A little late, huh? It's already ice cold..._

When he gets close enough, he moves to Murakami's hat and goes to the swing, but the globe climber is too far away. He does a trick that makes the swing go faster and he makes it to the globe climber. He does a trick to make it spin and he goes to the basketball and then to the seesaw. He moves it and goes to the baseball. He goes to the left side, then the tire, and then to the leaf that April's holding.

"Oh, there you are, Donnie..." She says in remorse.

"From your dejected expression, I gather...you didn't find what you were looking for," Donnie hugs her gently.

"Right. I can't find the music box anywhere," She murmurs at her failed search. "But I found something else instead, something horrible."

"Horrible?" Donnie asks in confusion. "What is it?"

April simply points to something behind her with the leaf. Behind her is a corpse, crushed underneath a giant rock. "There. In the grass. You'd better see for yourself."

He travels to the ghost world and sees the core for himself. "It looks like a dead body."

"I nearly died when I saw it," April points out. "And I suppose now that we've found it, we can't just leave it there, can we?"

"Nope, I suppose not. And hey..." Donnie lightly kisses her forehead. "We'll find the box, April. We'll prove that he didn't do it."

April smiles slightly at his support, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks Donnie. And we'll make sure you remember everything by tonight."

Donnie nods a little and moves to the dumpster that April's leaning against. He moves to the oil drum and then to the corpse.

"Stop the park from being turned into a housing site! Protect the park, the rock of the gods!" The mutant pigeon exclaims, already remembering who he was somehow. "You, there!" Donnie's mouth opens in surprise.

"You're talking to me, aren't you?"

"I have some leaflets for you!" The pigeon declares, "Leaflets I KNOW you'll be very interested in! I urge you to peruse it thoroughly! Examine it in detail!"

"Never mind that right now," Donnie turns serious. "Do you remember your name?"

"My name...my name..." He says nothing for a few seconds. "What does my name matter, when there are more important things to worry about?"

"Okaaay...so can I just call you by something?" Donnie asks slowly, a little weirded out.

"Pete! But they call me Pigeon Pete!" The pigeon coos. "Come now, and study these tracts with me, my mutant brother! Come and learn about the 'rock of the gods' with me! The night is no longer young! As a matter of fact, daybreak is approaching! But we are young!"

Donnie pauses for a few seconds as he has no idea what this pigeon is talking about. "...Look, I don't have time to get involved in your way of life. But I AM interested in your way of death. So let's go back, back to four minutes before your death!" Donnie smiles a little as no matter how odd or how against people might be about it, he's saving them. He rewinds time back to the four minutes.

 _8:25 PM Heart of Darkness Park. 4 minutes before death._

'Pigeon Pete' is waving the leaflets he mentioned to Karai, as this took place before she met up with April. She's not paying much attention as she glances around. "And so I made up my mind! I resolved to live here in this park and defend it!"

"Okaaay..." Karai replies slowly and awkwardly. "And what does that have to do with this 'rock of the gods' you mentioned?"

"You still don't appear to understand!" Pigeon Pete argues, going into his bag and pulling out a piece of paper. "It's written quite clearly in the fourth leaflet, in great detail!"

"Excuse me, but I have to use the restroom..." Karai pushes the paper away from her and walks into the bathroom to get away from him. Pigeon Pete continues waving the leaflets even after she left and then he suddenly hears a girl scream.

Tori is standing in front of a hedge as Fishface is standing a few feet away. Pigeon Pete runs up to the swing, jumping onto it. "I'm coming!" He jumps onto the globe climber and spins around. "Just hold on!" At the right time, he jumps onto the left side of the seesaw, causing the baseball to fly up into the air. "I'll be right there!" The baseball lands back at the seesaw and since Pigeon Pete can't move past the hedge, he can only look. He can see Tori's back to him as she gives a look of fright.

"I've located the target, wolfman. A girl of the right age, coming out of the right apartment, at the right time..." He looks away to continue talking, giving Tori enough time to hide the music box. Pigeon Pete sees it coming through and stares at it. He takes it, thinking it could be useful with the police.

"Yes, my friend. I'll ever-so-gently nab her and come right back," Fishface hangs up, Tori shaking a little. He calmly walks up to her, bowing politely so that he doesn't make her think he's dangerous. "Good evening, young lady. Won't you come with me?" He jumps closer to her and she stiffens.

"Eeeeeeek!" She screams and Pigeon Pete starts to panic. If he goes to the phone, the police will show up, allowing them to escape. If he doesn't call, she'll be kidnapped.

"O gods!" He whispers to himself, "What do I do?! What should I do?! I have to do something!"

Tori, with all her strength, pushes Fishface away and he accidently pulls a lever. A large football shaped rock that has a carving of hexagons starts to fall towards Tori...until the rock stops moving and is switched with a tiny leaf! The rock instead falls on Pigeon Pete, killing him.

"What in the world?!" Donnie asks in shock. "What just happened?!"

"Oh, that's Traag," Pigeon Pete chimes in.

"Traag...?" Donnie questions at the name.

"Traag the mascot, the symbol of Heart of Darkness Park," Pigeon Pete elaborates.

"Forget about the NAME of that big, creepy lump of concrete!" Donnie shouts as that was not the point. "I'm talking about the way it changed direction! Did you see that?!"

"Yes! Yes, I did! We witnessed it with our own eyes! The power of the rock of the gods!" Pigeon Pete exclaims and Donnie facepalms. "That was the power of the gods! The power of the gods saved that little girl!"

"...And then that same power very deliberately crushed you instead?" Donnie asks him.

"Yes! Yes, precisely!" Pigeon Pete sounds happy that he seems to understand. "That is called the mischief of the gods!"

Donnie's not buying it as the way that was performed was eerily familiar... _Was it the mischief of the gods, or was it a ghost trick...? But, nah...it couldn't have been a ghost trick...No ghost trick could change the direction of something that heavy in mid-air..._ "But, wait a minute..." _What if there was somebody with much greater powers than me...? Is this...the work of the manipulator that Bishop mentioned...?_

He goes back to Pigeon Pete's death, and is in front of the hedge where the pigeon died. When he arrives in the Ghost World...

There's another blue flame just like his, right near Tori. "Look at that! There's another flame besides mine!" Donnie sweats a little.

"Oooooh!" Pigeon Pete says in interest. "So that is the flame of a god, isn't it? But wait...your spirit is a flame, too, isn't it...?"

"Yeah. So?" Donnie asks as he doesn't get it.

"Uh, pardon me, but...are you a god?" Pigeon Pete looks at Donnie in awe.

"I sincerely doubt it," Donnie rolls his eyes. _At the last minute, that big lump of concrete made a huge swing to one side...that was probably that flame's doing._ "Who could it be?"

"I definitely believe it's either a god or somebody god-related!" Pigeon Pete holds up a finger.

 _Hmm...Maybe I'd better try talking to this person..._

Donnie goes to the trowel that's between the two flames. He goes to the soul and looks in shock. "Wh-What the...? This person with much greater powers than me...it's...it's...you...?"

"Heeey!" It's not the manipulator as this other person is Mikey, the Pomeranian! "DONNIE!" He shouts happily, jumping over and knocking Donnie off his feet. He starts licking his face, wagging his tail in excitement.

Donnie's still shocked. "Oh, my...it's..."

"...Mikey!" Mikey reminds him, jumping up happily.

"You look well..." _...For being dead._

"Did you see?!" Mikey asks hopefully. "Did you see what I did?! I did it! I tried really hard and I did it! I saved Miss Tori!"

"...Are you telling me I was done in by a puppy dog?" Pigeon Pete stares at Mikey in utter confusion.

"Mikey...what is going on? How did you get the powers of the dead?" Donnie rubs his head because that's how shocked he is.

"I'm glad you asked!" Mikey grins as he remembers what happened. "After Miss Tori went out and you left..." _Mikey ran up to the door and hit his head against it. He got back up and ran back to the couch before he tried again, failing like last time._ "I worked like crazy to make my own path, and I did it!" _Mikey latched onto the door knob with his paws, pushing backwards and opening the door. He ran out into the great big world._ "And then I followed Miss Tori out into the big, wide world!"

 _He managed to follow Tori all the way to Heart of Darkness Park. When he saw her not too far away, he started to bark._ "And then, here at this park, I found her at last! Yep, you guessed it! I barked! You bet I did! And I went running after her, too!" _Mikey barked again, but Tori did not hear him. He went running towards her, but Fishface came by on his bike and ran Mikey over without stopping. Mikey landed in a crater that had a sign over it._

"And then I guess I died. And then I was unconscious for a little while."

 _Fishface shook his head as Tori was crushed underneath Traag._ "When I came to, it was all over...poor, poor Miss Tori! Crushed under that big, scary lump..."

 _"What have I done?!" Fishface looked guilty. "I'm so sorry, little lady! Please forgive me!"_

 _"MISS TORI!"_

"I had to rescue Miss Tori! It was up to me! I cried out from the depths of my heart. And then..."

 _Just like with Donnie, Mikey woke up in the Ghost World where something was emanating near Mikey's body_. "I can't tell you how surprised I was. But I bet you understand, right?"

"Better than probably anybody else could," Donnie smiles in amusement. So Tori had died before she was kidnapped...and Mikey saved her...that's how she has a core now. And he must've done a time rewind like Donnie did, which is probably why Tori didn't remember, since they were already in a new present.

"And I remembered what you did for me, how you saved me," Mikey smiles gratefully at Donnie.

"So...you went back, right? Back to four minutes before the little lady's death?" Donnie smiles at him.

"You bet I did!" Mikey winks at him.

 _Mikey went back in time, four minutes before Tori died. She put the music box back in the hedge. "Yes, my friend. I'll ever-so-gently nab her and come right back." Fishface hung up and bowed to Tori. He jumped to her side and Tori pushed him away, causing him to pull the lever. Traag started to fall until Mikey was back into the Ghost World._

"Now's my chance, I thought! I saw the core!"

 _I dunno...It looks pretty far..._

"I stretched out my paw toward the core. Ooh, how I felt at that moment, D! I'd love for you to be able to feel it, too! Go ahead, Donnie! Go ahead and try it for yourself!"

Donnie drags it and manages to get up to Traag over a far distance. "I-I can't believe it!" He mutters in disbelief. _How could you connect over such a great distance?_

"Well, they don't call me 'the brains of the outfit' for nothing!"

Donnie chuckles to himself. "Hmm. And so then you manipulated that 'Traag' thing, and threw it aside," Donnie rubs his chin.

"...Right on top of my head," Pigeon Pete frowns.

"Well, uh...no, actually," Mikey looks sheepish.

"Huh?"

"I can't manipulate things like you can, Donnie," Mikey explains.

"You can't?! Then how did you...?!" Donnie looks shocked.

"I didn't know what to do! Then I happened to see something out of the corner of my eye...and it had a core too." Donnie looks to see the leaf. "A single leaf hanging from the tree. I tried reaching out to the leaf!" Donnie reaches out to it and sees electricity connecting them together.

"Wh-What in the world?!" Donnie's never seen that before.

"I can't manipulate things..." Mikey starts off. "But, apparently, I can swap them! As long as the two things have the same shape, that is."

"Swap things with the same shape...?" Donnie asks slowly.

"Go ahead and try it! Touch the Swap Button!" Mikey encourages and there's a swap button where Donnie's trick button would be. He presses it and the two items swap places.

"Th-That's incredible! And so that's how you saved your mistress, is it?!"

"And that's how I became caught up in this, is it?!" Pigeon Pete adds.

"I'm very sorry!" Mikey says earnestly, whimpering. "My powers were too meager!"

"Meager?" Donnie wonders as he bends down and pats Mikey on the head to calm him down like Tori would.

"Because, you see, I saw one more," Mikey glances to something away from Traag that has the same shape. "I happened to notice one more core. There was something with the exact same shape stuck in the branches of a tree."

"Hey, you're right!" Donnie says in realization. "If 'Traag' could be swapped again with that..."

"Then disaster wouldn't have to rain down on my head!" Pigeon Pete replies with a chirp.

"But what is that thing? It's too big to be a leaf..." Donnie murmurs as he stares at it.

"Whatever it is, I'd much prefer it on my head than Traag!"

"We get it," Donnie tells him sharply. "So why didn't you swap them, Mikey?"

"I couldn't," Mikey replies sadly. "I can stretch out my paw a little further than you can, Donnie," When he tries to move to the object, it's not close enough. "But this was just too far for me. I couldn't reach."

And this leaves Pigeon Pete to be killed.

"I must admit, it's a fascinating spectacle of a death, if I do say so myself!" Pigeon Pete comments.

"I kept retrying over and over, seeing if there was anything I could do..." Mikey murmurs in guilt.

"I bet there's something you can do now," Donnie smiles at him.

"Huh?" Mikey asks in confusion.

"If we work together, you and me," Donnie suggests.

"Donnie!" Mikey exclaims in surprise. "You think so?!"

"I don't plan on letting anybody die in front of me tonight," Donnie gives a determined look. "Do you think you could help me?"

"Of course!" Mikey immediately agrees.

"Naturally!" Pigeon Pete chimes in.

"So, we're going to drop that 'Traag' thing in a different spot," Donnie lays down the plan. "Okay, let's try it. Let's go back again, to four minutes before!"

And so they go back in time to Tori's kidnapping and Pigeon Pete's death. "Alright, let's get started," Donnie smiles slightly as he can now see everything. "Four minutes from now, you'll swap 'Traag' with the leaf," Donnie glances at the big rock and the leaf. "And then you have to swap 'Traag' with something else," He looks back at the object across from the leaf. "Something with the same shape."

"Oh, I believe that's a rugby ball!" Pigeon Pete explains.

"Okay, 'rugby ball,' huh? But with the rugby ball where it is now, Mikey can't reach it. So that means I have to move it closer somehow," Donnie says in thought. "It looks like you and I will have to work together on that one, Mikey."

"Okay! I'm ready!" Mikey chirps happily. "Whenever you want to use my swap trick...just touch the me icon! That way, I'll be able to control myself for whatever you need. And then, if you touch the you icon..."

"Control will come back to me," Donnie murmurs in understanding.

"By the way, you can switch between us with select, too," Mikey adds in matter of factly.

"Select, huh? I'll remember that," Donnie grins down at the dog.

"Okay, let's try it! Together, we can stop Traag from hurting anybody!" Mikey declares and with that, they get started. First is Donnie as he moves to the dumpster door. He does a trick to open it and goes to the seesaw.

Mikey moves from his spot and goes to the baseball, connecting it with the tire next to the seesaw. He swaps them and Donnie tries to move the seesaw.

"It's too heavy! The seesaw won't budge!"

"Maybe because of that swap I made?" Mikey suggests.

 _I guess a little ball is about all the weight I can handle._

Pigeon Pete comes in and uses the swing. Mikey switches the balls back and Donnie moves the seesaw. The ball falls near the tire and since he can't reach anything at this moment, he has to wait until Pigeon Pete comes in. He does and Donnie reaches out to the basketball. He goes up to the center and makes the globe climber spin faster. This temporarily traps Pigeon Pete and gives Donnie a little bit of more time.

He goes to the boot in the globe climber and goes up a tree using some left-behind leaflets. He goes to a love letter that was taped to a balloon, but somehow got trapped in a branch. If he could read it, he would, but back to priorities. He does a trick on the letter to make it go up a branch. He goes to a leaflet and then up to an umbrella. He makes it close and it lands near the rugby ball. Donnie opens it up and Mikey steps in.

He switches the baseball and the basketball from the globe climber. He waits until Pigeon Pete jumps on the seesaw, causing the basketball to fall into the umbrella above. Pigeon Pete peeks through the hedge and he switches the basketball for the heavy tire. The weight of the tire causes the rugby ball to fall, landing past the open dumpster and into the oil drum right behind Pigeon Pete.

"There! We moved the ball! What do you think, Mikey?" Donnie gives a gaptoothed grin. Mikey sees the distance between Traag, the leaf, and the rugby ball.

"Hmm...with the ball there...I think I can do it!"

"In just a few seconds...you'll swap 'Traag' with the leaf. And then, from there, you can swap 'Traag' one more time. The final moment is near, Mikey! Are you ready?"

You bet!" Mikey exclaims, wagging his tail as he waits for his moment. He moves to the rugby ball.

 _Time till Death: 3_

Pigeon Pete takes the music box that Tori pushed away, putting it in his bag. He peeks through the hedge again.

 _Time till Death: 2_

Fishface jumps to Tori, who looks away.

 _Time till Death: 1_

Pigeon Pete starts freaking out as Tori pushes Fishface away from her. He pulls the lever.

 _Time till Death: 0_

Traag gets swapped with the leaf like Mikey did before. It's about to fall on Pigeon Pete until Mikey goes to the Ghost World. "Okay, watch me, Donnie!" He calls out to his master. "Here I go!"

"The finishing touches! You can do it, Mikey!" Donnie encourages the little doggie. "Swap 'Traag' with that ball!"

Mikey reaches out and connects Traag with the rugby ball. He swaps Traag with the rugby ball and that falls on Pigeon Pete's head instead. It hits him on the head and knocks him on the ground, but he's still alive.

"There! How's that?!" Mikey perks up.

"My head has been spared!" Pigeon Pete cheers. "Truly, that was a 'try' worthy of the gods!"

"And now 'Traag' is right where he belongs..." Donnie smiles slightly.

"We did it again, didn't we?!" Mikey beams up at Donnie. "Didn't we?!"

Donnie smiles and bends down, patting Mikey on the head. Mikey licks his cheek happily in celebration.

 _Fate Averted!_

"Now nobody has to die!" Mikey jumps up in the air.

"Except for one brave little somebody..." Donnie ruffles Mikey on the head.

"Huh?" Mikey is confused.

"I'm talking about you, Mikey," Donnie points out.

"Oh! Me...? I guess you're right. I'm still dead, aren't I?" Mikey seems to have something on his mind.

"So now let's go back and save your life," Donnie smiles as he stands up.

"...Wait a minute," Mikey calls out before Donnie can do anything.

"What is it?" Donnie looks down at him.

"Now that I think about it...I think I want to stay dead a little longer."

"What?" Donnie is shocked by this revelation. Didn't he want to help out Tori and April?

"When I was alive, I couldn't even help Miss Tori when she was in trouble," Mikey frowns at the thought of Tori being tied up when he died the first time. "I want to be able to protect Miss Tori. And to do that...I need these powers I have now!"

"I see..." Donnie frowns at this as Tori would definitely miss him. By what he's seen, she loves Mikey. And Donnie...well, to him, Mikey was the friendliest person he met before April. He didn't deserve to die...but if it's what Mikey wants, then he won't save him.

"Perfectly understandable!" Pigeon Pete replies, "Even I wish I had powers like that!"

"Hey, we just saved you," Donnie points out. "Don't wish your life away already!"

"Oh...Of course. You're right," Pigeon Pete says sheepishly. If he was dead, he wouldn't be able to save the park and inform people of the rock of the gods!

"Okay, Mikey. Have it your way. By the way, Mr. Reckless Pigeon Youth. There's a certain detective who needs that music box you found," Donnie looks at Pigeon Pete. "When we get back to the present time, could you give it to her?"

"Certainly! You have my word!" Pigeon Pete promises.

"Let's go back, then!" Mikey looks up at Donnie. "To the present!"

When they return, April's still looking just as dejected. And so Tori ended up in the hands of the kidnappers. They weren't able to change that part. April listened to his story without saying anything.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something else I could've done," Donnie frowns sadly.

"No, you did the best you could," April sighs a little. "I'm sure she's alright. After all-"

"After all, she has me!" Mikey chirps and she looks around in surprise, wondering if she had just heard a voice. She looks at the leaf, her eyes widening. Having talked to Donnie for hours, she can sense someone else...?

"Mikey...are you in there?" She asks in shock.

"Miss April! Leave Miss Tori to me!" Mikey tells her. "I know I don't look like much right now...but I'm sure I can help her!"

"Mikey..." April murmurs, touched at Mikey's dedication and loyalty. Suddenly the wind comes in and blows the leaf out of April's hand. She looks up and tries to grab it, but it's too far to reach.

"Miss April!" He shouts as he's unfortunately whisked away from them. April stares after him, clutching her hands to her heart.

"I'm going to leave it up to Mikey."

"It kind of looks like Mikey is being left up to the wind..." Donnie murmurs as they look up to the sky. Pigeon Pete suddenly wakes up and sees April.

"Oooooh!" He coos, causing her to back away a little as she wasn't expecting him to react like that. He walks up to her. "I have something to give you!" He pulls out a leaflet. "Stop the park from being turned into a housing site! Protect the park, the rock of the gods!"

"Aren't you forgetting your promise?" Donnie reminds him. Pigeon Pete has a look of realization.

"Oh, pardon me. Pardon me," he puts the leaflet away and exchanges it for the music box. "My apologies. This is for you!"

April looks shocked that he even had it. "Oh!" She takes it and puts it into her coat pocket. "You kept the music box safe, didn't you? Thank you," she smiles at him softly.

He holds his head at the praise. "Not at all. I was only doing what the rock of the gods..." his head starts spinning. "Would...have...wanted..." He finishes slowly and then there's nothing.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Donnie smirks in amusement.

"He's mesmerized by my beauty," April grins and Donnie blushes, looking away as he says nothing. Sure, April was...beautiful, but he'd never say that out loud. They're partners, nothing more...right? She's smart, determined, and loyal. And...he does like her...a lot...but if he told her that, he'd mess up their friendship and he doesn't want to ruin what they have. Not only that...he's still dead, and a mutant turtle at that. She'd never accept him...

Yet...whenever he's not with her, he can't help but think of her...all the time.

"Hey! The cat's not allowed to get YOUR tongue!" April interrupts playfully and he holds back a laugh. Pigeon Pete turns to her.

"Excuse me, but are you...? No! It couldn't be!"

"Have we met before?" April asks in confusion as she definitely would've remembered meeting someone like him.

"Aren't you...? Aren't you that little girl, from that time...? I'll never forget it! It was ten years ago, in this park."

"Ten years ago...?" April murmurs those words before her face turns into realization of what happened. "Are you talking about...?" She covers her mouth in shock, unable to finish her sentence. Donnie goes to Pigeon Pete's mind to ask him himself.

"Here in this park, the gods surely control fate," Pigeon Pete starts off. "Today, ten years from that day...we meet once again. If that isn't the power of the gods, then what else is it?!"

 _It could be just coincidence._ "But, apparently, you know our lady detective here." April blushes at the nickname slightly, fanning her face. "Could you tell us about it? About what happened ten years ago?"

"Yes! Yes, of course!" Pigeon Pete answers eagerly as no one's asked for this information before. "I was actually about to do just that!"

"What's this 'rock of the gods' you keep mentioning?" Donnie asks curiously.

"Don't you know? It's right there in front of us!" Pigeon Pete takes April to the crater, where she sees Mikey's dead body. She goes down and examines it, patting his head while sniffling.

"Mikey..."

Pigeon Pete stands there as she mourns for her loss. She looks up at him. "Wait a minute...You say gods, but do you mean dogs?" She questions and he shakes his head.

"Of course not. Don't be silly. This is no time for ridiculous word games. You are standing just above the rock of the gods now. Take a good look at that monument!" He looks at the slab that's right next to the tiny crater.

"Monument...?" April asks slowly, turning to the monument. Her eyes widen as she reads the inscription: Rock of the Gods—Heart of Darkness Park. "The rock of the gods..." Right underneath her is a meteorite that's not far from Mikey's corpse, which is...the rock of the gods.

"The rock is buried in the ground right there," Pigeon Pete points to where April is kneeling. "It's been there these ten years. Ever since that day it flew down from the heavens and showed us a miracle!"

 _A miracle?_

"So this 'rock' you've been talking about...is a meteorite?" April wonders in awe and it's obvious that she's never heard of this.

"Precisely! It dropped from the sky on that day ten years ago. Yes, of course! Surely you know all about it!" He stares at April, who sweats a little.

"M-Me...?"

"That day, I just happened to be passing through this park," Pigeon Pete looks up at the Ghost World in thought. "I had no idea that day would change my destiny. The sun was going down, and, through the gloom...I heard the scream of a little girl."

 _"Eeeeeeeeek!"_

 _"Now, just calm down! And drop that weapon!"_

 _"S-Stay back! If you come any closer...I'll shoot her!"_

 _Raph, Amy, Leo, and Donnie were standing across from someone who was holding onto a young unconscious April._

"I peeked out fearfully from the bushes, and saw some shadowy figures. I didn't see the face of the criminal clearly. I knew I should do something to help, but I couldn't move. The tension was so thick, it was painful. Just when I couldn't stand it any longer...that's when it happened. The sky suddenly burned bluish-white!"

 _The meteorite fell from the sky, causing the loud sound of what was previously thought to be a gunshot. The rock fell into the ground, causing some of it to break._

"When it crashed into the ground...the meteorite gave off a shower of beautiful fragments. And then I saw it. One of those beautiful fragments...pierced into the criminal's back."

 _Raph held April into his arms as Leo, Amy, and Donnie looked over her._

"The judgement of the gods was brought down on the park that day. Ten years ago...the little girl that was you, was saved by the rock of the gods."

"Oh my...I can't believe it!" April covers her mouth. Never she would've thought that there was a different version of what happened...

"The rock of the gods was given the name 'Heart of Darkness.' And still today...it lies sleeping, deep in the park's earth."

"I...I never knew about this 'Heart of Darkness'..." April says quietly. "I always thought Raph, you, and the others were the ones who saved me..."

"You were very young then," Pigeon Pete places a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "And you passed out from the shock of being taken hostage. Of course you wouldn't remember."

"But that's funny," Donnie rubs his chin. "A huge incident like that should have caused quite a stir. It's strange you never heard of it, April." Obviously, he wouldn't know, since he doesn't remember it.

"It is, isn't it? But now that I think about it...I remember I didn't want to think about what happened," She tells him, trying to remember...but she can't. "I avoided the news, and I never came back to this park again. That's why I didn't know anything about it." Back then, she just wanted to block it all out...so that she wouldn't have to remember...but now...there's all this new information about the situation...needless to say, that's an understatement, she's learning about this from a whole new perspective.

"The meteorite was named 'Heart of Darkness' after the name of this park that it fell in. And then the 'rock of the gods' was forgotten," Pigeon Pete speaks up. "Now, an awful thing is happening! They're talking about turning the park into a housing site! I'll never forget the miracle I witnessed that day. And so I've taken up residence in this park, and am trying to appeal to the people. Protect the park, the rock of the gods!"

"I see..." April murmurs in understanding. She picks up Mikey's corpse, holding onto it. "I'm taking you with me, Mikey."

 _So, ten years ago, the little girl that was April wasn't aware of the meteorite. I get that. But Raph, on the other hand...There's no way he didn't know about this 'Heart of Darkness' thing...or the others. And if he knew..._

 _"And the man died. I took his life."_

 _...What was that 'confession' of his all about...?_

Given the fact that Raph claimed responsibility for this murder...why would he do that if he knows about the meteorite? Well...Donnie can't speak for him...and neither can Mona, Leo, Amy, or Splinter, for that matter...

The 'rock of the gods' that fell from the sky ten years ago...changed the destinies of many people's lives. Like the ripples on a pond when a pebble is dropped in...With every answer he gets, he learns about a new mystery.

Will he be able to break the chain of mysteries before dawn...?

Anyway, now that they have the evidence they need...they decided to meet up again at Bishop's office. Besides, there are a few things he wants to ask Raphael...

* * *

When they arrive back, they're not surprised to see Casey didn't come back. April pulls out the music box from her coat pocket, holding it out to Raph. He takes it as she smiles. "We found the 'music box,' Raph!"

"Good job, you two. I knew you would," Raph smiles at April, looking up as he doesn't know where exactly Donnie is right now. Donnie smiles back weakly. "...Once everything had been 'resolved,' I had wanted you to give this to him."

"Him? You mean Inspector Jones, right?" April grits her teeth at the mention of his name.

"I don't suppose he'll ever forgive me," Raph smirks a little sadly at the broken friendship.

"Raph..." April whispers at Casey's unfaithfulness and lack of support.

"Now then, let's get this thing open. There's a certain knack to doing it, you know," he grips the lid and grunts before he opens it. "Haaah!" He breathes at how much effort that was. "See?"

Donnie's eyes widen at Raph's strength. _He calls that a 'knack'...? Looks more like brute strength to me..._

Raph pulls out a small rifle, holding it carefully as he holds it out to Bishop. "Here ya are." Bishop holds it in his hands. "Ya should find scorch marks on the grip."

"Scorch marks...?" April asks as she didn't hear about that anywhere.

"When Tori built her contraption, she used a special kind of string," Raph starts off, "It's a kind magicians use. It burns up in an instant and disappears."

"Why would little Tori use something like that?" April asks, wondering how she even got it.

"I don't know," Raph shrugs, "Maybe because she's a detective's daughter," Raph smiles in amusement. "Not leaving any evidence behind and all that. Ha. Wouldn't put it past her with my whole family being detectives too."

"In the case report, there was mention of some scorch marks," Bishop murmurs to himself.

 _Mona, Leo, Amy, and Splinter all got shot, everything going back to normal._

"When it happened, Tori was watching from her hiding place. She saw the flame run to the gun, something she naturally didn't include in her design," Raph explains, closing his eyes at the memory of looking over his dead family five years ago... "I took the gun out of the frame and replaced it with a picture. If you remove the picture, you should find scorch marks behind it on the frame, too. And those marks should match up with the ones on the gun."

"In other words..." April starts off.

"It proves the contraption existed there in that room that day," Raph finishes, crossing his arms.

"And it didn't work the way your little girl intended, is that right?" Bishop asks, looking sympathetic as he has a little girl too.

"Exactly. Some cowardly culprit modified the design," Raph grunts as whoever did it is gonna get his shell kicked.

"But that angle was never brought up in court," Bishop looks at Raph in confusion before his decision is made. "And so, as justice minister...I must call off the execution at this point." The evidence is enough to clear Raph once and for all.

April looks down, relieved. "I knew I was right." She looks back up at Raph. "It wasn't Raph. Now we can finally prove that. Thank goodness..." She sniffles, trying not to cry out of happiness. Raph shakes his head slowly at what he's been through...what they did to keep him from being set free...all the friends and family he lost...

"Thank you, April," He whispers as she and Donnie were the only ones who believed him and had faith in him. He smiles as he looks up. "In those eyes of yours, I see the eyes of that little girl from ten years ago..."

"Raph, stop," She laughs slightly as she wipes her eyes.

Donnie moves from the phone to Raph's mind as there's still some questions. "Donnie..." Raph murmurs at the sight of his brother. "If ya hadn't come to my cell tonight...I would be gone by now, without ever having known any of this. 'This is what I deserve.' That's what I told myself these past five years. But things are different now," Raph grins at him. "Thanks to ya...my eyes have finally been opened."

"Tonight..." Donnie looks away. "I've come into contact with a lot of people's lives, and got involved in their fates. And the only reason I was doing it was to regain my own lost memory," Donnie smiles slightly at all the friends he made...and the family he's come to know. "But things are different now. I don't want to just get my memory back, I want to continue getting to know you and April... Everything is connected to us. I just know it. And that's why I need to ask you a few more questions...in order to find the truth about us."

"Fair enough," Raph nods slowly. "Ask away, Don."

"Donnie told me all about it, Raph," April speaks up. "About the manipulator."

"Yes...and it looks like this manipulator really did a number on ol' Bishop, too," Raph glances at Bishop, who shouts in agony.

"Please don't pick on Bishop. If he dies again, I'm the one who has to save him. I don't need another April," Donnie points at Raph.

"Hey!" April protests with a pout before she frowns. "Donnie, do you think...? Do you think that's what happened to me, too...?"

"Hmm?" Raph glances at Donnie and April. "What are you talking about, April? Don't tell me...you were manipulated, too?!" Raph shouts in anger. First this person has a vendetta against him, now April's involved? He's fine with being played with by unknown forces, but bringing April into this was too far. "That's it, when I find this 'manipulator,' I'll make sure he wasn't born!"

 _April stood in front of Donnie's body, still holding the gun right after she shot him._ "There was always a part of me that just couldn't believe it...That image of the one who shot me...But now I see the possibility of a new explanation," Donnie speaks up, looking at April. "And that April couldn't have shot me...she's too loyal..."

April smiles gratefully. "But...who is it? And why did they do it...? That contraption was a birthday surprise for Mona, wasn't it?"

"That's right," Raph confirms, frowning deeply.

"Something's been bothering me about it..." April thinks to herself. "I feel like I know that device from somewhere..."

"No surprise there. You lost your life once tonight because of that machine," Donnie reminds her.

"Right? I knew it! See, Raph?!" April beams at her friend.

"No, I'm afraid I don't 'see'..." Raph raises an eyebrow and they tell him all about it. Told him about seeing the exact same contraption tonight in a completely different place: the monkey superintendent's basement. "Huh. Weird. A junkyard on the edge of town? I've never even heard of the place," Raph crosses his arms, looking up. "And what's more, I've never told a single soul about that contraption."

"You haven't?" April asks him.

 _Hmm. That old monkey mutant...Dr. Tyler Rockwell, was it? Who in the world is he...?_

"Raph, you must've heard this name before..." Donnie starts off, "Heart of Darkness. The meteorite that fell in the park ten years ago. You were there."

Raph pauses at the name. "...So ya found out about that, did ya?" He looks away from them.

"I hear that meteorite saved little April's life," Donnie tells him.

"That's right. I couldn't do anything to help April that day...we couldn't."

"But in that case, I don't get it," Donnie rubs his chin. "If it's true, doesn't it mean you didn't 'steal' somebody's life away?"

"What are you talking about?" April asks as this is the first time she's hearing about this.

"Raph, you told me that, ten years ago..." Donnie glances at April. "...The person who killed the perpetrator in the park...was you."

"What?!" April whips to Raph in confusion. "But it was the meteorite...!"

"...I wasn't lying," Raph closes his eyes. "I stole that man's life away. No question about it. It was entirely my fault."

 _Raph was pointing the gun at the criminal, Amy, Leo, and Donnie standing behind him._ "I was just about to shoot him, despite the protests from you and the others. I would've shot him in the next instant, if the meteorite hadn't come. At that point...I was already a murderer."

"That's not true!" April defends sharply. "You were all trying to save me!"

"April, I'm sorry, but...I don't think that's really it for me," Raph confesses, gulping slightly.

"Huh?"

"On that day ten years ago, a different incident happened in another place."

"Another place?" Donnie turns to him.

"Yeah, in the police headquarters interrogation room. The worst sort of incident...a suspect who was being questioned escaped..."

"Wow. I didn't know about that!" April's eyes widen.

"I-we happened to be there in the detective division," Raph glances at Donnie. "So we joined the chase. Fortunately...or I guess, unfortunately...we were able to track him down alone in the park."

 _A gunshot went off. "Hold it right there!" Raph threatened as his siblings followed after him._

 _"In order of the police, stop!" Amy cried out._

"I fired a warning shot. I wanted ta catch him, bad. That warning shot made him panic."

 _Raph held his gun in his hands, pointing it at the criminal. Unfortunately, he had a gun too._

"At the time...we were a young...and green gang of detectives, brandishing our 'sense of justice' like a sword. God, I sound like Leo," Raph drags a hand down his face as his voice cracks at the name. "I myself made him panic, and got you involved, April. It was all my fault."

"Raph..." April whispers that he's blaming himself.

"All I could see was my target. I couldn't even see you unlike my family. I'm so sorry, April..."

April looks down as she remembers what Pigeon Pete said about the criminal. "So the man who grabbed me died that day..."

"These last ten years...I've never forgotten his face. And then a few years after that...when our brother, sister, wife, and father died in such a mysterious way...I thought it was fate, my punishment for what I'd done."

 _Raph painted in his cell._ "I painted pictures in my cell. Nothing but portraits of people's faces. All the faces of the many people I'd met in my life and didn't want ta forget...And tonight...I finished my last portrait while I was detained by Casey...the final face I wanted to remember."

Raph moved away the portrait, standing to admire it. "The final face...the face of the man in the park that day."

"W-Wait just a minute! So...you painted me...because you wanted to remember me...? I saw that painting!"

"Yeah," Raph heaves a sigh.

"And you remember the guy who did it?! Who is he? We need to know," Donnie presses.

"...Baxter Stockman."

 _Raph moved away from the painting, revealing an African American man with glasses._

"WHAT?!" April exclaims in shock. "Him?! Are you telling us he was the man in the park that time?!"

"Who?" Donnie asks in confusion as he's not familiar with the name. He would've thought it was Shredder.

"That's right. Ya met him while you were...undercover. That face of his is the face I saw ten years ago. We know him because he works for Shredder. The face of the man whose life I stole, of the man who was pronounced dead at the scene."

"B-But hold on, Raph!" April stammers. "That can't be true! I didn't see Stockman anywhere and Donnie still hasn't gotten his memories back! And Stockman died right in front of you in the park! So how can he be connected to all of this?!"

"...April, have ya considered that he killed Donnie himself?"

Their eyes widen at him. "What...? He killed me...?"

"From the first minute I laid eyes on my brother tonight...I didn't think that he was dead. I've been wondering...how is he alive? Or Stockman for that matter? He's the only one I know who'd go this far. Maybe the only reason Donnie doesn't remember...is because Stockman might be behind it. It's been hours...and still nothing. I know Donnie's in there somewhere...but Stockman made it so that Donnie wouldn't remember...and kill us all. He's the only one smart enough to pull all this off..."

"I...I..." Donnie stammers and no one says nothing. This 'Stockman'...could he really make it so that he'd kill Donnie and prevent him from losing his memory? Why? Was it Shredder's order, or...

Revenge?

The phone suddenly rings, shocking all of them. Bishop immediately picks up.

"Mr. Bishop..." Casey says into the phone.

"Inspector Jones! Where are you?!" Bishop demands as Casey needed to hear the news.

"Just be quiet and listen," Casey spits at him. Right now, he sounds like Rahzar. "This is our demand."

"Wh-What...?" Bishop mutters in utter shock. "Demand...?" Casey doesn't sound like himself...no, this is totally different...

"Our demand hasn't changed," Casey narrows his eyes. "The execution must be tonight. Once we've confirmed it's been carried out, we'll release the hostage."

"What are you talking about, Inspector Jones?!" Bishop slams his fist on the desk. "And you know it wasn't my daughter who was abducted!"

"Does it really matter who the hostage is? A life is a life..." Casey doesn't seem to care. "Even if it's the daughter of a death-row prisoner," he spits out those last words in hatred.

Bishop's eyes widen in horror. "Once the criminal gets the punishment he deserves, the hostage will go free. Carry out the execution immediately and wait for our call." It doesn't even sound like the real Casey as he doesn't add letters or use third person. With that threat still in the air, Casey hangs up the phone.

"What is it, Mr. Bishop?" April asks curiously. "You look paler than ever..."

"Wh-What in the world...?" Bishop tries to make sense of it, but that just happened. Casey...is working for the kidnappers? "What's going on?! Inspector Jones...!" He puts down the phone, trying not to have another heart attack.

The 'rock of the gods' that fell from the sky ten years ago...twisted the fates of many people, and started a chain of tragic events. And, even now, the chain continues to grow ever longer. Inspector Jones' call proved that to them.

And the greatest mystery of all has risen to the surface. Who is this 'manipulator' they've been chasing all night? Why did he kill Donnie? Why is he preventing Donnie from remembering?

Who is he?

They're even further from knowing than when he started.


	15. Chapter 15

**Angel: Another long chapter...I don't mean to make these chapters long, I don't XD But if you watch the walkthrough, you'll see why they're so long! And I don't want to split them up because they're meant to be in one chapter with whatever happens. I'm sorry X'D Plus, we are dealing with two deaths again like in chapter 7.**

 _2:55 AM_

Ten years ago, a man named Baxter Stockman...took a little girl named April hostage...and then was killed by a meteorite fragment.

Tonight, a mutant named Donnie met a detective named April (who, by the way, is his best friend and possibly something more) at a junkyard on the edge of town...and then was killed by a bullet. And, supposedly, Stockman was involved in this murder despite being dead for ten years.

But the scene he finds waiting for him on the other end of the phone line...feels like the final nail in the coffin of his lost memory.

Donnie sees his own body standing there...holding a gun. Sitting across from him is a dead Casey Jones...who has been shot in the head.

He sees...'himself.'

'Donnie' puts down the gun and makes a phone call. He sits on the desk as he waits for the other person to pick up. It's the Shredder on the other line. "There you are, Master Shredder. Finally." It's Donnie's body, alright, but that's not Donnie's voice. It's deeper...so it must be this Stockman he heard about...but how is he in Donnie's body? And how'd he get possession of it? Apparently, Stockman is still alive and well.

"Stockman! Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you. Do not test my patience," Shredder makes a gauntlet appear.

"Had a little unfinished business to take care of. Didn't think it would take this long..." Stockman glances at Casey. "What about your minions? They sure went out of their way to mess me up."

Shredder says nothing for a few seconds, humming to himself. "I believe we fulfilled every one of your conditions in this deal. What right do you have to complain about anything outside of our little partnership?" He narrows his eyes.

"We can talk about that when we get together," Stockman looks at the gun in his hand.

"This will be our last communication by telephone," Shredder warns him. "We will arrive in one hour. I look forward to seeing you, Stockman," And with that, he hangs up.

Dawn is approaching.

The darkness surrounding his own mystery is deep. But he knows it's always darkest before the dawn.

"Hmm, yes..." Shredder murmurs to himself. "We're nearing the final stages of our little deal."

"Yes, one known as the Shredder. That which is known as preparations are in the stages of complete, one called the Shredder," Kraang recites. "And we have just gotten a report, one called the Shredder. That which is known as lights have been spotted, one called the Shredder."

"If only you didn't speak like that, I could enjoy the news," Shredder replies back in annoyance. "Let me have a look."

Kraang taps a few buttons and makes the chandelier disappear, with the projector turning into a telescope. Shredder leans forward and looks outside.

"Hmm, yes...we are very close."

"We will now disconnect that which is known as the communication cable, and will not have that which is known as service until we arrive, one that is called the Shredder."

"Very well," Shredder sits down in his chair and Kraang presses a button to make the projector turn back into the chandelier. The table switches to have the fruit presented in front of Shredder. He takes the grapes and starts eating them as they're in a giant sphere-like ship. It hahs multiple spikey points protruding from the ball that can shoot lasers. One of it's most visible features is an huge purple eye-like shape in it's center that is very menacing looking, and is made to resemble a Cyclops. On the inside, it's huge and spacious with many abysses situated beneath designed to catch opponents off-guard. The interior of the ship is made up of vast corridors and houses thousands of Kraang.

It is...the Technodrome which is currently underwater, traveling to make its attack on Earth.

Stockman puts the receiver down. "Nice try, Inspector Jones," Stockman smiles evilly, which makes Donnie a little unhinged since that's his own body. "But you could never stop me!" He stands up and smirks. "See ya, sucker." He walks past the dead body without a care, opens the door, and slams it behind him.

Donnie goes into the ghost world and enters Casey's mind. Like with everyone else, he does not have his memories back just yet, and is unconscious.

"Hey, do you think you could wake up for me?" Donnie calls out and there's no response. "Oh, boy. Still unconscious, eh?" Donnie rubs his chin as he stares at the blue flame shape. _I guess he hasn't been dead for very long, then._ Donnie smiles slightly at the flame. "I'll just go ahead and go back to four minutes before his death." _I'm still a little nervous about what I might see there, though..._ "But if that's where I'm gonna find my answers, I can't run away from it."

He rewinds time all the way back to Casey's death and watches with bated breath.

 _2:50 AM Maint Building—Super's Office. 4 minutes before death_

Casey is on the phone with Bishop like he was before Donnie arrived. Stockman is staring at him a few feet away, watching to make sure every word gives away nothing. "Once the criminal gets the punishment he deserves, the hostage will go free. Carry out the execution immediately and wait for our call."

Casey hangs up, hanging his head at what he's just done.

"That's a good boy," Stockman smirks at Casey. "Gee, a hostage sure is a handy thing," He smiles evilly again. "It gives me complete control over the top police inspector in the country."

At least Casey wasn't working for the kidnappers... Casey leans back in his chair, refusing to look up as he crosses his arms. He grunts in anger at how he was just used. He can't believe it...forced by someone who looks like his friend...

"Whatsa matter? All those broken bones smart a bit?" Stockman smiles as Casey has bruises from fights with Shredder and the Kraang. "What's it like to feel pain? Does it make you feel ALIVE?" Stockman emphasizes on alive.

"Why...are you doing this?" Casey demands, narrowing his eyes.

"Now, is that any kind of question for a top inspector to ask? Isn't it obvious?" Stockman grins widely. "Revenge, of course. Revenge on all the people who stole my life away ten years ago."

Casey finally looks up at him, looking baffled. "Don't be ridiculous. It was a meteorite that stole your life. Or have you forgotten that?"

Stockman raises a fist and slams it down on the stove, knocking the teapot to the ground. His hand is sizzling as Casey stares at him blankly. "Wrong! I was murdered! By ALL OF YOU!" After the smoke sizzles from his hand a bit more, he raises his fist and he gives no indication that he felt any pain. "Detective Raphael, who chased me down and forced me into a corner, even though I was innocent. Detective Amelia, who did nothing as she just stared at me and didn't speak on my behalf. Detective Leonardo, who was the oldest and could've handled it, but he didn't stop Raph. Detective Donatello, who was pretending to be one of us for months! April, that girl who was right there where I was running."

"April? She was just an innocent little girl playing in the park!" Casey defends in disbelief. He's blaming all of his friends even though most of them are dead.

"IF that brat hadn't been there, I never would've thought of taking a hostage!" Stockman shouts back.

"That's the most self-centered garbage I've ever heard," Casey dismisses and Stockman points at him.

"And, finally, you, Inspector Jones!"

"Me...?" Casey asks in confusion as he wasn't there at the park.

"If you hadn't done what you did...I never would've pointed a gun at that kid," Stockman looks at the ground and turns so that his back is facing Casey. "You were so proud of your 'spotless record.' And my case was the old blot on it, wasn't it?" Stockman scoffs at Casey's cockiness. "Only five people know the real truth—me, Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo, and Amelia. But...all but one can only speak for themselves now," Stockman smirks at how everyone except Raph is dead.

Casey glares at the shell in hatred. He knows it's not really Donnie, but the fact that Stockman is using his body to make others think he's alive...

"I bet tonight's execution will be quite a relief to you, won't it?" Stockman turns around to Casey. "One of the people who know about the stain on your record will disappear for good. That's why you didn't help him escape from prison." He then points at Casey again. "That's the kind of guy you are!"

Casey scoffs as he looks away. His business with Raph was not something to be discussed...not with someone impersonating his friend. "I got nothing to say to you. You'd never listen, anyway."

He pulls out his gun from his coat pocket and points it at Stockman. He shoots Donnie's body in the neck and Donnie cringes. The body falls on the step ladder and Casey looks satisfied. Finally, he could avenge his friends' killers...

However, the step ladder move back to Casey and Stockman slowly stands up, looming over Casey. "What the shell...?" Casey murmurs slowly.

"Now, then, Inspector. Time to make a big red stain on your spotless black coat." The lamp moves, knocking the gun out of Casey's hand. It lands in Stockman's hand as he's now pointing at Casey. The inspector's eyes widen.

"This was another condition of my deal," Donnie's face has that scary grin again. "To wipe out everybody who knew about Heart of Darkness." He fires the gun and Casey leans back in his chair as the blood seeps down from his forehead.

"Revenge?! That's what he's up to?!" Donnie sweats nervously, "And he's using my body to do it!" _None of this makes any sense..._

"Hey, maaan..." Casey suddenly appears in front of him. "Mind tellin' me what's going on?"

"Inspector Jones!" Donnie exclaims in surprise as he didn't see him come in. _He's awake!_

"My head is spinnin', dude. Am I to understand...that 'Jones' character who just got shot...is me?"

"Uh, that's right," Donnie stammers.

"And you're supposed to be the scoundrel there who just shot me?" Jones asks in amusement.

"I, uh...I guess so..." Donnie looks down in guilt as that is technically his body still out there.

"But you couldn't be, could you?"

"Huh?" Donnie looks up in confusion.

"After all, the turtle in purple just walked out the door, right? So...who are you?" Casey looks at him seriously. "Donnie...is that you?"

 _I guess I just have to face it...I may be Donnie, but I'm not really him!_ "Yes, it's me...I...I'm searching for myself. That's why I'm here to save you. At the very least, you have information about Stockman, information I need."

"So you came on a rescue mission, now, did you? Nothing like the sound of that, man!" Casey puts an arm around him, smiling. "Because there's a very important life here somewhere, a life valuable to this nation! Okaaay, so do your thing, Gaptooth!"

"Gaptooth?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"Oh, sorry. Force of habit."

They go back to Casey's death and this is going to be tricky. For one, he can't perform any ghost tricks here because Stockman is staring right at Casey. If he does, Stockman's going to notice him. The only thing he can do right now is go to the ghost world to move around. But there's something about Donnie's body...

"Look at him..." Something is emanating from Donnie's body, just like with Mikey's. "There's that 'something' emanating from his—my—body." _Is it really the sign of having special powers of the dead...?_

Donnie moves to the teapot since he can't access much right now. He waits until Casey looks up, talking with Stockman again and Donnie's body slams the hand down on the stove, knocking the teapot onto the ground. He can go down to the motor that's in the basement now and when they arrive, the basement area has been entirely destroyed.

"Look at this place..." Donnie murmurs in shock. Nothing even looked recognizable anymore as all the debris is lying around. "What in the world happened here?"

"...Think I'm startin' to remember..."

Donnie turns to Casey in shock.

"Something bad happened here. And now...there's another death hidden here."

"What?! Another death?" Donnie asks in disbelief.

"Didn't I tell you from the start?" Casey smirks at him. "Didn't I say there was a very important life, valuable to the nation, here?"

"I thought you were talking about you," Donnie points out.

"Hmph. I'm just a crazy guy in a black coat, man," Casey crosses his arms. A pigeon flies into the room and lands in front of a giant rock, cooing.

 _Hey, come to think of it...where's Dr. Rockwell...?_

Donnie moves to the hoist nearby and makes it move. It slowly travels to the left before falling off completely right next to a toolbox. He goes to the toolbox and opens it, causing it to slide near the rock. He finally goes to Rockwell and enters his mind.

"Um, excuse me." He's looking at the flame. Rockwell must've died a little while before Casey. "Are you awake?"

To his surprise, the flame shape turns into Rockwell himself. "Of course. I never sleep during work hours."

"Professor!" Casey exclaims with a wide smile. "Do ya recognize me?"

"There's only one crazy man in a black coat that I know of," Rockwell recites.

 _He hasn't lost his memory!_

"I'm not the type who likes losing things...but never mind that," Rockwell stares at Donnie. "Jones, this is quite a surprising guest you've brought with you. Pretending like he didn't just blow up the place..."

"Are you...talking about me?" Donnie asks slowly.

"Oh, it's not Stockman. It's Donnie! And I'm his guest, actually. Said he came to rescue us," Casey pats Donnie's back. "Unlike you, my sharp friend, he still hasn't gotten his memory back."

"Hmph. Pitiful."

 _Ouch. That hurts._ "Anyway, now we'll be going back to four minutes before your death...in order to change your fate, that is."

"But aren't we already in the past, maaan?" Casey questions in confusion.

"But we can go back even further. I've done it before," Donnie shrugs. _I still don't see a path to saving Inspector Jones...but if we go back further, maybe I'll find a lead!_

So they go back even further in time to see how Dr. Rockwell died.

 _2:42 AM Maint Building—Basement. 4 minutes before death_

Dr. Rockwell is examining Donnie's corpse with a weird device. Casey is sitting near him, arms crossed. He scoffs at the monkey mutant. "How many times do I have to tell you, Professor? This place is dangerous," Casey warns him and Dr. Rockwell stops what he's doing, looking over to the inspector.

"Don't be daft. I can't leave now." He goes back to waving around the device. "He's completely dead, but, just as I thought, I'm getting a reading."

The device beeps over Donnie's chest. "This is the source of his powers. If I remove it..."

Casey groans as he sits up. "He's not 'dead'! He's just 'not there'! The true form of the manipulator isn't something you can 'detect.' It's a spirit! And you know for a fact it's not Donnie's!"

"Hmph. Ridiculous," Dr. Rockwell dismisses it about not being able to detect it, not about Donnie.

"Heh heh heh...so you figured it all out, huh?"

They're both shocked as Donnie's body slowly sits up. "You're a clever man, Inspector Jones. Even if you're still kind of a joke."

Casey stands up fully. "So it's really true...! Y-You're...!"

"I wasted a lot of time tonight because of you, Inspector," Stockman speaks up, meaning he must've taken possession of Donnie's body before Dr. Rockwell started his process. He gets down from the table, Rockwell backing away in shock. "But it's all just like you said. I died ten years ago. This new body is just a vessel, a shell. I control everything—this shell, people..." He grins evilly. "Just like I controlled the justice minister and April." He walks up to Casey, who backs away to the door.

"So it's true. You were manipulating Red that time...? You made her shoot your 'shell'...made her shoot Donnie! But why?! Why would you do a thing like that?!" Casey shouts in rage.

"To create conclusive evidence—you know, on that security tape. Now she's a murderer, too, the murderer of Donnie. She'll suffer just like Raph did. Two birds in one stone."

Donnie covers his mouth in horror. Stockman...controlled April...to kill him? To make the both of them suffer?

Stockman turns around to Rockwell. "Now, then, Professor. I'm afraid it's time for you to die."

Rockwell's eyes widen at that. "I don't have any grudge against you. I'm even grateful to you..."

"Oh, yeah? So why don't you let me live, then?" Rockwell spits back.

"I'll be leaving this country forever tonight. But before I do..." Stockman rubs his chin. "I need to erase all evidence that these powers of mine exist." Stockman reaches out and places a hand on the fan. "Along with the 'contraption' in this room." He spins the fan and it starts to lower, with Cupid coming out of its hiding spot. The flame is captured on the arrow.

"This time, the thing will work the way it was meant to, and it'll all be over. Cupid won't turn this time. He'll shoot his little arrow this way."

Cupid shoots the arrow onto the table...

Where dynamite replaces the party poppers.

Rockwell turns pale as he sees what's going to happen.

"Professor! LOOK OUT!" Casey shrieks as he jumps forward, but it's too late as there's a big explosion, knocking Casey off his feet. His back is on the ground as Rockwell is crushed by a giant rock.

"Dynamite, eh?" Rockwell asks once they're done watching. "When the devil did he put that there?!"

"He planned it all out tonight," Casey looks away. "Having Red shoot ol' Donnie here, having his corpse disappear..."

"His corpse...disappeared...?" Donnie asks slowly.

 _The alien doctor was examining Donnie's body._ "That medical examiner. Remember hiiim? He was a complete and utter imposter. He said he was going to take the corpse back to the lab...but he'd already made a deal with the manipulator, Stockman, to meet him and give him the body back. But Casey Jones wasn't going to let that happen, Gaptooth!"

"Can we stop with the Gaptooth thing?" Donnie raises a brow.

"You saw through their plan, eh?" Rockwell changes the subject.

"Jones noticed right away the medical 'examiner' didn't know the first thing about examining a body. Jones knew he was a fake, so I tracked him down and bought him off."

"Bought him off...?" Donnie looks at him in surprise.

"I had him smuggle the corpse to this room," Casey explains. _Rockwell waved his device._ "I thought we could find the source of his powers since you were the last body he possessed...Of course, never in my wildest dreams did I think his abilities...or yours, for that matter," He glances at Donnie. "Were...powers of the dead."

"Anyway, there isn't much time. He's leaving the country before dawn," Dr. Rockwell states. Donnie smiles in determination.

"And I'm gonna follow him, of course, after I save you two. After all...he murdered me by having April, my best and dearest friend, shoot me. It's time I do something about it." _But something's been nagging at the back of my mind...I remember what Ryan and Lia said to me tonight. They said that spirits cease to exist when the day breaks. But if that's true...how could a spirit from ten years ago still be here...?_

"No time for thinkin' now, Don. Action is the name of the gaaame! Work your magic and take us back...even further into the past!" Casey declares, making Donnie chuckle a little.

They go back and Donnie is on the ground. "This place is dangerous," Casey voices his opinion. There's not much Donnie can do right now.

"Don't be daft," Rockwell scoffs as he turns to the man. His device goes off like crazy as he finds the source of Stockman's powers. Casey argues with him and Rockwell rolls his eyes. "Hmph. Ridiculous." Stockman starts laughing and sits up, shocking the two. Casey sits up as Stockman reveals he's possessing Donnie's body right now.

"It's just like you said." He steps up to Casey, who moves away from him. Rockwell just stands there in shock and Stockman turns to him. "Now, then, Professor. I'll be leaving this country forever tonight. But before I do...I need to erase all evidence that these powers of mine exist." He puts his hand on the fan. "Along with the 'contraption' in this room." he spins it and it lowers.

 _Time till Death: 3_

"As you perhaps have aaalready noticed...time is running out, Don!" Casey reminds him.

"Yeah, no 'perhaps' about it. I know. But, you know..." _There aren't a whole lot of things I can use my ghost tricks on in here!_ Even if he was able to use them, he still can't do it in front of Stockman. And since he's on the ground, he can't reach much. It's not like he can stop the dynamite from igniting.

"It looks like it's all over..." Rockwell hangs his head.

 _Unless I find another path, I'm sort of at a deadlock here...!_

How was he gonna save Rockwell now? There's no clues he can use here...

"Donnie..."

Donnie's eyes widen. _Hey, I know that voice..._

"Help me..."

"Wh-Where are you...?!" Donnie stammers in confusion.

"Find me...before I'm carried away...!"

"Hmm?" Casey murmurs as he doesn't recognize the voice. "What's with the frail-sounding call for heeelp?"

 _ **He's** here somewhere!_

"A friend of yours?" Rockwell wonders as Donnie is looking around.

"Yup. A little guy that looks a little fragile, but has strength that'd surprise you," He explains as he sees nothing.

"Well, he's asking you to find him," Rockwell rubs his chin.

"And before he's 'carried away,' no less!" Casey adds in.

 _But I'm almost out of time! Should I look for him...?_

Donnie moves the screen around...and at the bottom right corner, there's a certain leaf. "Donnie!" Mikey barks happily. "Here I am!"

"Oh, hey! It's..."

"Mikey!" Mikey shouts, as he's just happy to see Donnie.

"What are you doing there?" Donnie wonders as they look down at him.

"Do you really have to ask...?" Mikey sounds a little offended. "Seriously, are you really going there?!"

"Uh, no, that's okay," Donnie sweats sheepishly. "Never mind. Anyway, I need your powers. Will you help me out?"

"Oh, of course!" Mikey agrees immediately. "Here, let me come join you!" He lets the leaf float up to a table in the secret area where April escaped. He moves to the tire that's on top of the table. "Okay, here I am, Donnie!"

 _Now maybe things will 'flow' in a new direction!_

"Even though the 'flow' of the sewer is a little bit stinky!" Mikey scrunches up his nose in disgust. Donnie thought that was ironic given that Mikey just came from a sewer.

 _Fate Changed!_

Donnie moves to the door underneath Rockwell and tries to open it, but nothing happens. "It's no use! I can't open it!"

"Could the fact the Professor is standing on it have anything to dooo with it?" Casey smirks in amusement at the monkey.

"I may look small, but I'm pretty heavy-set," Rockwell returns the look to Casey.

 _He sounds so proud of that fact, too..._

"This door...such a piiity," Casey shakes his head. "Too bad it doesn't open downward. Sometimes life can be so hard, wouldn't you agree, Professor?"

"Yeah, that's why we're both DEAD," Rockwell gives him a look and Donnie places his hands on his hips.

"Ohhh," they both cringe and Mikey makes no comment as he wags his tail. "Sorry."

 _Hmm. A door that opens downward, eh...? That's it!_

Control goes to Mikey now as he can reach things farther than Donnie can. He moves to the box on the floor and then onto a trash can lid nearby. He then moves to a tiny stack of magazines, which are right next to a bigger stack. A rat is trying to reach the trash can, but can't since the stack is too tiny.

"Those 'squeaky guys' are making a fuss about something," Donnie points out.

"Donnie...my animal instincts are starting to surface!" Mikey exclaims.

"If you mean you want to chase them, I think you have to be alive to do that," Donnie reminds him. _Hmm...There must be some kind of rat feast in that trash can._

"Those things usually make a bigger commotion than that," Rockwell remembers hearing them whenever he's working.

 _A bigger commotion, eh...?_

 _Time till Death: 2_

Mikey switches the stacks so that the larger one is in front of the trash can. The blue rat jumps inside the trash, lifting up the trash can. The two rats start squeaking and suddenly more join in, shaking the trash can a little.

"Now THAT'S what I'd call some proper commotion!" Casey grins proudly, hands behind his head.

"They're making that trash can dance," Rockwell just looks at them.

"Truth be told, I feel a bit like dancin' now, myself!" Casey laughs a little and Donnie rolls his eyes playfully, remembering Casey's dance moves.

"It's getting harder and harder to hold my wild instincts back!" Mikey wags his tail rapidly.

 _What a dangerous bunch..._

 _Time till Death: 1_

The trash can lid falls down and Mikey moves to it, switching it with the tire. The lid lays flat on the table and Mikey moves to it. He goes up to Donnie to talk with him. "Do you remember how to use my powers?"

"Yeah," Donnie nods, "You can swap things that have the same shape, right?"

"Well, to be more accurate...I can swap things that LOOK like they have the same shape," Mikey elaborates.

"What's the difference?" Donnie asks as he bends down to Mikey, allowing the dog to lick his face in reunion.

"As I was being carried by the wind and falling into the river, I realized something," Mikey starts off. "If you look at a thing from different angles, it looks different!"

 _You know, that's a pretty good point...for a little doggie who came in with the sewage..._

Donnie moves to Rockwell's briefcase so that Mikey can do his stuff. Control is switched to him and Mikey switches the door with the lid.

"LOOK OUT!" Casey shouts as he jumps forward, neither him or Stockman seeing the monkey fall through the space. The basement explodes and Casey is left lying on the ground. Stockman salutes as he didn't see what happened.

"Sorry, little pigeon," He grins as he turns to Casey who is still on the ground. "As for you, Inspector..."

"Ngh..." Casey grunts, the blow having disoriented him a little.

"I have a little job for you."

"I-I can't move...I think I have...four or five broken bones..." Casey mumbles.

"I don't mind. It won't prevent me from manipulating you! It might make it hurt a little bit when I move you, though...Quite a bit, actually." Stockman laughs evilly as Casey glares up at him.

"D-Damn you!" Casey curses even though he knows that's still Donnie's body. But he meant it all the same. The pigeon looks down past the compartment to see Rockwell lying on the table, having crashed on it. The pigeon flies down to him with Stockman not looking. He pokes at Rockwell's head and there's nothing before he sits up, perfectly fine and not dead!

"I can't believe it. You lot actually pulled it off," Rockwell murmurs in shock.

"Sorry, Inspector Jones," Donnie looks guilty. "I couldn't do anything to help you..."

"And there I am, a poor, broken heap of arms and legs..." Casey murmurs before he pats Donnie's shoulder. "But, no matter. I enjoooyed the show! The magic disappearing act, that is! Nothing like it, Don! And, by the way, call me Casey."

"Yeah, except...unlike a normal magic trick, I'M the one that managed to vanish without a trace here," Rockwell smirks knowingly.

 _New info has been added._

 _Fate Averted!_

Casey seems to have something on his mind as he's silent for a few seconds.

"What's the matter? You look like you'd rather be dead, not that you aren't," Rockwell notices the silence.

"I was just rememberin' the fact that, right about now...the 'real' me is givin' the poor ol' Bishop a real fright," Casey smiles weakly.

"Oh, that phone call? Yeah...he was pretty upset..." Donnie murmurs at the threat that Casey gave.

"Um, excuse me, Casey," Mikey speaks up as April would mention him frequently when the dog was still alive. "You really shouldn't be mean like that."

"...And what's this lively little creature? And how does he know my name?" Casey asks in confusion.

"Oh, this little doggie is the warrior who keeps Tori safe. I used to own him...with my family..." Donnie bends down and Mikey jumps into his arms as Donnie pets him on the head gently. "Or...he would be, if he was actually still full of life."

"Tori..." Casey mutters as he looks away. "What a terrible thing! That poor little girl...taken hostage..."

"It's a cruel twist of fate indeed..." Rockwell frowns in sympathy.

"Wait just a minute!" Mikey interrupts, lifting his head. "Miss Tori is...a hostage...?"

"Yes. We're sorry, little warrior..." Casey frowns at him.

"M-Miss Tori...?! A hostage...?! ...What's a hostage?!"

"...Anyway, Inspect-Casey..." Donnie smiles at him. "It's time to save your life now."

"But you couldn't get very far when you tried befooore, am I right?" Casey asks.

"But this time, it's different!" Mikey looks up at Donnie. "Right, Donnie?

"That's right," Donnie smiles back at him. "With us working together, it's a whole different situation. We're a team. We'll save Casey, and then we'll go rescue Tori. Okay?" Donnie pats Mikey on the head again gently, stroking his fur. Now that he has Mikey's help, he's sure that they can undo Casey's death.

"Okay!" Mikey barks happily at the stroking and at Donnie's promise. "Let's hurry up and get through this!"

"Gee, kiiids, you're makin' me feel like an afterthought..." Casey shakes his head at them.

In the new present, Donnie goes to the ghost world. "Alright. Let's get started. Casey is upstairs. So our first step is to get up there."

"Donnie, I'll go up first and wait for you!" Mikey offers and Donnie nods at him. Mikey goes to the door and then the box before he's gone. That leaves Donnie to find another way to get up there, and he's too far to reach the phone from outside.

Rockwell raises his hand and the pigeon lands on his finger. "Okay, Dove. We need your help. Carry this measuring device upstairs," he warns gently. "It has Donatello in it, so don't drop it!"

The pigeon flies over to the measuring device and grips onto it using its claws. It flies up to the ceiling with the device in hand. Donnie smiles gratefully for the help and moves to the damaged motor when the bird is close enough. He then moves to the motor and meets up with Mikey, who's in the step ladder.

"There you are, Donnie!" Mikey chirps in excitement.

"Sorry for the wait, Mikey," Donnie smiles gently.

"That's okay! Now what's the game plan?"

"Four minutes from now, Casey will be killed by a gun," Donnie looks at Casey's coat pocket.

"You just jump in there and stop him from firing, would you?" Casey asks sarcastically.

Donnie sighs slowly. "There you go again with that stuff like Raph and April mentioned..."

"Besides, it doesn't make any sense," Rockwell speaks up. "If you stop him from firing, he'll just kill you some other way," He glances at Casey.

"Wait a minute! That sounds familiar..." Donnie thinks of something.

"Yup. Same situation as mine," Rockwell sighs a little. "Your best bet this time around...is to allow him to shoo, and then save Jones without him noticing."

 _Whew. It's even WORSE than last time..._

"Anyway, jump in there and do SOMETHING!" Casey urges and Donnie shakes his head.

"Okay, I'm ready to jump in, Donnie! Don't forget to touch the me icon so I can do my thing!" Mikey barks and Donnie nods. Unfortunately, he can't reach anything as the step ladder is just a little further. And there's nothing Mikey can switch right now. Casey leans back as he stares at Stockman, who slams down Donnie's fist, knocking down the teapot onto the ground. This is his chance!

He moves to the teapot and then to the lamp. Now he just has to wait when Stockman isn't looking. Stockman stands up, pointing to Casey as he accuses him and the others of wrongdoing. He then turns around and Donnie makes the desk lamp swivel. He travels to the bulb and then to a helmet that's hanging from the shelf. He makes it drop and it falls near the teapot. Stockman hears it and turns around to Casey.

"What was that?"

Casey stays silent, pretending he saw nothing. Stockman makes nothing of it and then continues accusing Casey. "That's the kind of guy you are!"

Casey pulls out his gun, pointing it at Stockman. "I got nothing to say to you. You'd never listen, anyway." He shoots Donnie's body, who falls back onto the step ladder Then the step ladder moves back to Casey and Stockman slowly stands up on Donnie's feet.

 _Time till Death: 3_

Control is switched to Mikey as he moves to a book that's sitting on top of the shelf. Now Donnie just had to switch it with something...

It's his turn now as he moves to the step ladder. Donnie makes it move all the way to the right. He reaches out to the hat that's hanging from the side of the shelf. He jiggles it and it lands on the step ladder. He makes the step ladder move back to where it was, behind Stockman. But this time, the step ladder is close enough for Donnie to reach more things.

 _Time till Death: 2_

Mikey is in control now as he switches the hat with the book that was on top of the shelf. The hat slowly inches to where the helmet was hanging.

 _Time till Death: 1_

Now they just had to wait.

 _Time till Death: 0_

Stockman makes the lamp move so that it knocks the gun into his hand. He points it straight at a shocked Casey. "This was another condition of my deal. To wipe out everybody who knew about Heart of Darkness."

"He's going to shoot! It's too late!" Rockwell exclaims.

"Again? I'm gonna get shot AGAIN?!" Casey shouts in disbelief.

"No, wait! Our chance is coming up!" Donnie protests before they can get mad at him.

"The last split-second, right? Leave it to me!" Mikey declares as the gun goes off...but Mikey goes to the ghost world before Casey can get hit with the bullet.

"W-Would you look at that..." Rockwell murmurs in awe. "The bullet is hanging in mid-air, between the gun and Casey's forehead!"

"Now's our chance!" Mikey tells them. "I'm here in the bullet right now! Let's swap this little thing with something else!"

"Wh-What?!" Casey mutters in shock.

 _It's our only hope. There's gotta be something here with the same shape and direction as the bullet!_

"I never saw a bullet before!" Mikey examines the bullet he's inside of. "It has such a cute little shape, doesn't it!"

 _I can check out the bullet's shape on the top screen. Okay, got it. Now I know what it's shaped like..._

He looks around and he points to something, Mikey grinning. He switches the bullet with the hat and in turn, Casey gets hit with that instead. He falls over his chair, upside down on the floor. Like last time with Dr. Rockwell, Stockman falls for it and makes his phone call with Shredder.

"I don't think he noticed," Rockwell whispers. "Looks like you pulled off another magic disappearing act. Heh heh."

"And now I say again...I looove knit hats. So warm...and, most of all, soooft." Casey says sheepishly as Donnie smirks in amusement. And here they were both doubting them...

"Did I...Did I do alright?!" Mikey asks in anticipation.

"You did a fine job, little one," Rockwell pats Mikey on the head, who woofs happily. "You saved another life."

"And I'll keep doing it, too, like Donnie! Over and over! Because he's my inspiration!"

Donnie stumbles back a bit in surprise at the praise. "Wow...thanks, Mikey," He smiles gently.

 _Fate Averted!_

"What I saw in just those four minutes..." Rockwell starts off, "Gave me all the answers I've been looking for."

"All our research these past ten years pales in comparison, right, Professor?" Casey grins at the monkey.

"Research?" Donnie stares at Casey in disbelief. "You do research? So you two were working together?"

"That's about the size of it, yeah," Casey shrugs casually. "Who would believe a story about a manipulator? So we pursued it ourselves, just the two of us."

"I'm quite a 'crazy character' myself, after all," Dr. Rockwell grins slightly, Donnie and Casey shaking their heads at him.

"Okay, let's hurry back!" Mikey urges, bumping his head against Donnie's legs. "Back to 'our time'! We have to rescue Miss Tori!"

"You're right, Mikey," Donnie's look turns serious as he remembers his niece. _And there's a certain guy I'd like to follow, too!_

They go back to the new present, where Casey is still on the ground, the knit hat over his face. His legs fall onto the ground and the hat slips off his face.

After completing his 'revenge' on Casey, Stockman left. And now, a new story is about to unfold, in a new 'present.'

Dr. Rockwell walks up to Casey as he had just gotten upstairs. He looks down at his partner. "How are you feeling, you crazy character?"

Casey tries to sit up and he can't. "Hey, there, Prof! We're both aliiive, I see. Yeah, nothing like it! But I don't know if I'm getting old, or what...I've got a few aches and pains here and there. Used to be, a liiittle thing like an explosion wouldn't bother me!"

"Yeah, right," Rockwell scoffs at him. "Like I'm going to believe that. So, what? Stockman is gone, eh?"

"Just in case, I posted Special Investigation units all around the building," Casey explains, looking down as he knows how to trick people. After all, he is using Donnie's body to move around now... "Let's just pray the boooys came through for us..." He grabs the desk to try and help him up, but he falls back down again. "Dammit! You picked a bad time not to listen to me, body of miiine." He sighs in defeat, just allowing himself to sit there. Rockwell holds back a chuckle.

Donnie needs some information, so he goes inside Casey's mind to talk with him. "If I knew things were going to end up like this..." Casey looks down. "I would've tried to die in that explosion, man! And I would've tried to save you...but instead just like five years ago, I just let all my friends die...That way, I could've been dancin' after 'big stupid Stockman' by now!"

 _Hmm...I might be able to erase deaths, but it's true I can't do much about injuries..._ "But, really, you shouldn't talk that way, Casey. There's only one person to blame for my death, and it's not you. And my family...they suffered because of his want for revenge."

"Yeah...sorry. I guess you're right. I just hate feelin' so...helpless," He admits, "He was right there within my grasp...! But now that I know that you're alive, how am I gonna stop him? All our plans were resting on tonight! And then...this...had to happen!"

 _I guess he's thinking about his 'spotless record'..._ "It's not too late, Casey," Donnie tells him gently. "You still have a chance. We still have a chance. Maybe I can catch him."

"Say...you're right," Casey says slowly. "That's not a bad idea...I'll cooperate with you fully since I know that the fake Donnie running around is an impostor. Go ahead and fire away with any questions you like, Donnie."

"That guy, Stockman, mentioned 'revenge'...Revenge against the people who stole his life away ten years ago..."

"Hmph. He's a fool!" Rockwell huffs as he's still a little bitter about Stockman blowing him up. "He's the one who made the decision to take that little girl hostage, and he wound up dead. He only has himself to blame."

"But what about when he said this?"

 _Stockman used Donnie's hand to slam the stove, knocking away the teapot._

 _"I was murdered! By ALL OF YOU! Detective Raph, who forced me into a corner...Detective Amelia, who stood there and did nothing...Detective Leonardo, who could've handled it, but didn't...Detective Donatello, who was only pretending to be one of us for months...April, the girl who was playing in the park...And, finally, you, Inspector Jones! If you hadn't done what you did, I never would've pointed a gun at that kid."_

Casey is silent for a few seconds as he knows exactly what Stockman is talking about. "...Yes...Ten years ago, on that day...the Special Investigation Unit was working on a certain big case...We hauled in a young man, an important witness to our investigation. And then I did it..." Casey closes his eyes. "I made two, very stupid mistakes."

 _Stockman was sitting across from Casey, who was interrogating him alone. He slammed his fists, looking up at the inspector._

 _"Detective, I'm telling you! I don't know anything about it!"_

 _"Fine, fiiine," Casey rolled his eyes. "You're under no obligation to talk, of course. But if you don't, the Special Investigation Unit can make the reeest of your life a living hell..."_

 _Stockman hung his head, placing his arms on his knees. "B-But...I..."_

"I'd just been assigned to the Special Investigation Unit, you see. They didn't share much info on big cases with a newbie like me yet, and I wanted to impress them. It was only supposed to be a simple matter of taking his statement...! But I was too green..." Casey looks away in guilt. "I pushed him too hard. I know it's Stockman, but...I drove him into a corner and made him lose all hope...That was my first mistake. And then I made another mistake on top of that."

 _Stockman and Casey stood in silence before a door opened. "Jones! Got a minute? The chief wants to see you about your report."_

 _Casey turned to the officer. "Got it. I'll be right there." He stared at Stockman as the man didn't look up. "...You stay right here and be a good boooy, now." He turned away and left the room._

"And that's when I did it...I left it behind in the interrogation room...my gun..."

Their eyes widen in shock. "How could you...?!" Rockwell stammers in shock.

"He used my gun to escape," Casey frowns deeply. "What he said is true. If I hadn't made that mistake...he never would've had a gun to point at April in the first place. We first found out about the manipulator's existence during a certain overseas communication."

"Overseas communication?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"For national security purposes, this country keeps tabs on the communications networks. This particular communication was about the Kraang makin' a deal with the Shredder...the most dangerous man in this city," Casey says slowly. "Did April mention them?" Donnie nods at that and he continues. "That's where Stockman came in. He said he wanted them to 'buy' him—him and his powers...That's how we first heard about him being involved. In the past, we've collared him for attempting to break into a building called TCRI, Kraang headquarters. Of course, we didn't know what he looked like at the time since no one's really seen him for years now. And in order to prove these powers of his...he gave them two predictions. He foresaw two completely preposterous, impossible cases. The case of a warthog who would sing national secrets during a live rock concert broadcast. And the case of a rhino who would take the chief commissioner hostage in his own office."

 _Hmm. Those two inmates at the Special Prison, eh...?_

"We kept tabs on their communications, and launched an investigation. You and the others were usually invested in it, and you'd report to me. You would be undercover to find out information, and report to your family. And then, finally, we pinpointed where they were going to meet tonight with the old evidence and information you guys had, and staked it out."

 _That restaurant, Murakami's..._

"The manipulator plans on leaving this country tonight...taking your body with him," Casey looks at Donnie. "On a ship that belongs to the Kraang: The Technodrome."

"T-Technodrome?" Donnie stammers at the name.

"It's the Kraang mothership that you do not want to mess with," Casey warns him. "But we haven't been able to find out where it's going to surface...it's terrifying to think what would happen if his powers were to fall into their hands..."

"Right. Highly unlikely they'd use 'em for peaceful purposes," Rockwell holds up a finger.

"And now they have that little girl as a hostage...your niece," Casey realizes, looking at Donnie.

 _Tori..._

"We have to stop him, before he leaves this country!" Casey declares in determination.

"This 'spotless record' of yours..." Donnie starts off, remembering how angry April and Raph are at him right now. "Is it really that important to you?"

"Of course, Don. In some ways, it's more important to me than my life."

 _Then your life, eh?_

"After all, it's because of my record...that I'm able to get my hands on all intel—as head of the Special Investigation Unit," Casey brags, Rockwell rolling his eyes. "And because of my position...I get to direct all aspects of the investigation into the manipulator case."

Donnie's mouth opens in shock. "The manipulator case?! _That's_ why you cared about your record so much?!"

Casey stares at Donnie for a few moments before smiling a little. "Of cooourse. Why else, man? I just never could believe it, maaan. Raph...shooting Amy, her unborn child, Leo, Mona, and Splinter...I didn't care that he 'confessed.' There was definitely something more to the story, some secret...especially when I saw the footage of April shooting you. I did everything I could to climb the ladder—everything in my power. And then I finally found the answer. It took fiiive long years, though...The manipulator...he's going to prove that Raph is innocent!"

 _What incredible determination..._ "There's one thing I just don't understand. If you were so determined to help Raph..."

 _Casey pointed the gun at Raph, who had just escaped prison._

"Why didn't you help him escape from prison?"

"That's an easy one, Don," Casey smirks knowingly. "Escaping from prison is a crime."

Donnie looks like a deer in headlights as Raph did not mention that part...

"I wasn't about to help him commit a crime after spending five years trying to prove the guy innocent. And he himself asked to be executed, you know. As a man of the law, I had to make sure the execution was stopped legally. And that's why I brought him before the justice minister, too. I needed to buy as much time as possibly could, Don!"

 _So that's it, eh...?_ "But there's one little unfortunate result of all this...April and Raph completely misunderstood your intentions," Donnie points out.

"Ha! What's a liiittle misunderstanding? Red will come around. Give it time. But there are more important things to do with our time tonight."

Donnie has to admit, Casey has a point...even if he is a bonehead for not telling people about his plans. He then moves over to Dr. Rockwell's mind.

"Mr. Superintendent...do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Donnie smiles slightly.

"Please, Donatello, call me Dr. Rockwell or Rockwell. I haven't always been a junkyard superintendent, you know. I used to be part of the police."

"The police, huh?" Donnie asks in interest. "So you were involved like my family and I were?"

"Well, no. Not as a detective...but as a medical examiner. I investigated victims' cause of death. Ten years ago, I was asked to autopsy a strange corpse. 'Hit by a meteorite fragment and died instantly.' That's what the police report said."

 _Stockman's real body was laying down in the death chamber at the Special Prison. He was wearing a pink jacket and glasses._

"There were no signs of life. He was definitely dead. But I never filed an autopsy report."

 _Stockman's body disappeared into thin air._

"That's because the corpse suddenly vanished...leaving behind only one clue."

 _An unusual corpse...I bet that's what I've been chasing all night..._

"Could you tell me more?" Donnie asks the mutant.

"Of course," Rockwell nods slowly. "I have an interest in you recovering your memory and finding your true identity, too. That's the only way I can describe it, too. It was an unusual corpse. He was dead alright. No question about that. But there wasn't a scratch on him."

"Not a scratch...?" Donnie wonders how that could be. He was hit by a fragment, so there should've been some scarring. "But I thought he was hit by a meteorite fragment."

"I don't understand it any more than you do," Rockwell voices his opinion. "I was completely bewildered. But when I tried to autopsy him, I was even more puzzled. I couldn't perform the autopsy."

"You 'couldn't'...? What do you mean?" Donnie questions in confusion.

"The scalpel went in, but I couldn't cut. As soon as I tried to make an incision, it would heal up in the very next instant. And that's how it went. And no scarring or blood, either. And I never had the chance to solve the mystery."

"That's because the corpse up and vanished on us," Casey mutters bitterly.

"The morgue is well-guarded. Nobody could've stolen that body. But there is one way the corpse could've disappeared..."

"What's that?" Donnie rubs his chin.

 _Stockman slowly got up, got on his feet, and simply walked away, opening the door and slamming it behind him._

"It got up, opened the door, and walked out on its own."

"What?!" Donnie exclaims in shock.

"He was dead, but...he wasn't dead."

"We saw it with our own eyes tonight," Casey remembers when Stockman got up to kill Dr. Rockwell. "Not even that explosion could kill him."

 _And he didn't even feel it when he slammed my fist on that stove...but wait..._

"If he has a body...where exactly is it? We know that he's powerful enough to possess a body...and there was nothing about another body at that junkyard...so what did he do with it...?" Donnie murmurs and no one answers as they're not sure.

"The corpse left behind some data from some testing I did," Rockwell continues after a few minutes. "I got some readings for some kind of radiation coming off that body."

"Radiation...?" Donnie remembers the waves coming off of his body and Stockman's. Is that what that is?

"I used all kinds of instruments, but I couldn't determine exactly what kind of radiation it was. Some undiscovered type, from a world unknown..."

"Wait a minute...Could it be...?" Donnie murmurs slowly.

"That's right. It was coming from that meteorite fragment."

 _Rockwell moved down to the crater that was in Heart of Darkness Park. With his measuring device, he waved it above the dirt._

"I went to that park and tested the spot where the meteorite fell. And, just as I expected, I detected radiation coming from that crater. It was the exact same pattern of radiation as that of the corpse. At the time, I thought he was some kind of immortal being. He would die, only to come back to life. And that goes for anybody he possesses. I wanted to research it all in depth, so I quit my job as a police medical examiner. Several years later...I came to learn the connection between my research and the 'manipulator' case. Thanks to the arrival of this crazy bonehead here."

"Oh, stooop, now, Professor! Do you wanna see me blush?" Casey grins playfully.

"It was...about a year ago, I'd say," Rockwell looks up in thought.

 _Rockwell was working at his desk, looking over his past research in his office._

"This man in black came dancing into my 'research lab' here."

 _Casey opened the door, spinning into the room. He shimmied his hips. "I heard there was an oddball monkey here who's researching Heart of Darkness. Is that youuu, man?"_

 _Rockwell walked up to him, looking annoyed. He pushed up his glasses. "Who are you to be calling anybody an 'oddball'?"_

"I was investigating the manipulator case then. Or, really, the Stockman case now. And then I heard there was a monkey who'd quit the police force to study the meteorite. When I heard that, it was like a meteorite struck me in the head. At the time, we were just starting to get leads on this 'manipulator.' We didn't know it was Stockman yet...but we knew he was communicating with Shredder and the Kraang. In one of those communications, we heard the manipulator say this."

 _"The source of my power is not of this world."_

"And that's when I put two and two together, man. The Stockman case and Heart of Darkness were somehow connected. And by that voice, I knew that it was Stockman who was the link."

"Which also explained how five years ago, he used his powers...to manipulate a birthday surprise a little girl made for her mother!" Rockwell points out.

"He added that gun to the contraption, most likely by controlling Tori," Casey adds and when Donnie returns to the real world, Casey had managed to get the strength he needed to sit in a chair.

"So that contraption in the basement here...you built that to try and help Raph?" Donnie assumes.

"That's right," Rockwell nods in confirmation. "Raph, you, and the others worked together back when I was with the force. I used the reports of his case to try and recreate the device. But there was just one part of it...that I couldn't reproduce, no matter how hard I tried."

 _Tori told Raph it did something it shouldn't have, made an impossible move._

"I added that part to the device I recreated," Rockwell explains, referring to the gun firing. "I put in a part that would allow Cupid to rotate. Otherwise, the gun wouldn't fire."

 _So that must mean somebody, most likely Stockman, manipulated Tori's contraption!_

"As a result...we proved to ourselves that the manipulator actually existed," Casey concludes. Suddenly, the door opens, and April bursts into the room. She gasps in shock.

"Inspector Jones!"

He turns around to look at her. "Hey, Red." He then looks down at the ground, shaking his head. "Sorry 'bout that phone call. I must've sounded like a real villain. I hated to spoil your image of me...of that cool-cat inspector you always looked up to..."

 _Is that really the image she had of him?_

April says nothing as she's still angry with him. Nevertheless, she walks into the room, where she's told the whole story. "Casey, I'm sorry...you were chasing after Stockman all this time to try and help Raph."

"This 'manipulator' is such a dangerous character...I was hoping you didn't have to be involved. After all...you and Raph are the only ones left...alive."

"So that's why you had me arrested tonight, isn't it?" April asks in understanding.

"Like I aaalways say, if somebody's in the way, throw 'em in the slammer!"

 _Yikes._

"You still should've told someone!" April scolds him.

"Tonight..." Casey looks up. "I really thought we finally had him...but my body gave out on me right at the critical moment. It's like a cruel joke."

"Ha ha ha!"

Casey turns around in surprise to see Raph standing there, smiling. "But a joke is a joke. Ya might as well laugh!"

"Raph!" Casey exclaims in shock that he's standing there.

"Bishop called off the execution order!" April reveals to him, beaming. "And while he was at it, he let Raph go free until tomorrow morning, too!"

"That's a pretty extreme 'while he was at it'..." Rockwell murmurs and April just winks. She has her ways. Raph steps into the room slowly, letting the door close behind him as he looks at Casey in the eye.

"Sorry I took so long ta get here. Ya can leave the rest to me."

"There you go again," Casey shakes his head. "You've always been like that...you make everybody else run around, and then you swoop in at the last second."

"Raph."

Raph turns around to Dr. Rockwell, where his pigeon is holding a bright red coat. "Five years ago...you left this coat with me, just before you turned yourself in. I promised to give it back to you one day..." The pigeon flies closer to Raph and he puts it on, feeling content as he feels the fabric back on his skin. Donnie smiles softly as Raph tucks in the collar. April tries not to cry as she wipes her eyes.

"I've been waiting so long, Raph..." She looks up at him, clasping her hands. "Waiting for this day to come!"

"Thanks...for not giving up on me, April," Raph smiles gratefully. "You too, Donnie." He turns to Casey, narrowing his eyes. "You're a bonehead for not telling me what ya were doing...making me doubt ya."

Casey smiles sheepishly. "But...thanks for the help. I'm off."

"Good luuuck, my old friend," Casey salutes at him.

"Not old. Whether or not you're stupid...we're still friends," Raph fist bumps him and walks up to the door. He pauses before he pulls out something from his pocket: the pocket watch Casey gave to him. "This 'present' you gave me...It's just what I needed. Thank you!"

"Glaaad ya like it," Casey winks at him and Raph takes his leave to go and save his daughter. April looks up at the ceiling.

"Donnie, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Donnie speaks up for the first time in a while.

"You and I have to go find Stockman. I need your help. Will you do this with me?"

"Of course, but how...? We don't know where the submarine is, and the phone line doesn't work..." He recalls Shredder mentioning how the lines would be cut off.

"They use communication cables to make their calls..." April thinks to herself. "We'll get you hooked up somehow—you'll see! Could you wait here until we do? Please?"

"Okay...fine. I'm counting on you," Donnie smiles softly down at her.

"This 'true self' you're looking for...I think you've already found it," April smiles back and she turns to Casey as Donnie grins. She couldn't be anymore right. He already knows who he is...but yet he still can't remember... "Alright, I'm leaving, Casey!" She rushes out the door and Casey waves at her from behind. He would help, but he still has injuries

It's almost dawn. He's who he thought he was...but he's still further from knowing who he was than ever. But now, he doesn't feel so alone. Each one of them, for his or her own reasons, are looking for the truth.

Together, he thinks they can shed light on these mysteries and drive away the darkness.

But it's almost dawn...


	16. Chapter 16

_4:19 AM_

April kept her promise about getting him 'hooked up.' About two hours before dawn, the phone rang.

The telephone goes off and since Donnie can't answer it, Dr. Rockwell walks up to the phone. He puts the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

"This is Raphael. Don, are ya listening? We need your powers. No time to talk. We'll be waiting for you." As soon as he spoke, he hangs up, leaving Dr. Rockwell a little confused. Normally, Raph isn't so quick to speak, but that's for Donnie to figure out this little mystery.

 _Trace Complete._

Dr. Rockwell puts down the phone as he looks straight at Donnie. "Well, you'd better be going. This long night is drawing to an end."

"Yeah, it looks like it," Donnie takes a deep breath, not sure of what to expect. "Thank you for all your help tonight."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," Dr. Rockwell says honestly as Donnie changed many lives tonight.

 _At the other end of the phone line...I'm finally gonna find all my answers. I'd better go!_

A single telephone line connects him and Stockman, or as he's known as right now, 'Donnie.' But that single line spreads out like a spider's web to ensnare the fates of many people...

And he just reached the center of the web.

The Technodrome starts to move from the bottom of the sea. As he arrives in the room, it's dark. Then there's two single pink lights that he can see. "Welcome to the Technodrome..."

A light turns on to reveal Raph standing in front of the phone, meaning that it was dark when he made the call. "The one who is known as Detective Raphael."

He's surprised at the voice and turns to see a single Kraang as he's inside Shredder's main room. "My detective sense must've gotten rusty," Raph spits at him. "I didn't even sense your presence here in the dark."

"That is because the power that which was the source of light was that which is known as off from the eyes of which that is Kraang."

"I sure didn't miss that old speech," Raph rolls his eyes. "I used your phone. Hope you don't mind." He clenches his fist as he doesn't even have his weapons. Those were snatched long ago when he was arrested.

The Kraang robot presses a button which causes the photo behind him to switch into a video feed. A video feed of the Shredder.

"Raphael. I never thought you would track us here. Especially seeing as you are still destined for death..."

"And I'm equally surprised about your choice of transportation. The Technodrome, eh?" Raph asks sarcastically. If he could, he'd take care of Shredder right here and now for all he did.

"And how did you find us, turtle?" Shredder spits back. "Not even the police knew where the Technodrome was going to surface..."

"We detectives have a little saying," Raph smirks at him. " 'If there's something you know want to know about a case, ask the criminals.' "

 _Casey pulled out his gun and shot Donnie's body, causing Stockman to land on the step ladder._

"The bullet that Stockman was shot with had a radio transmitter in it."

 _Casey put down his gun as he stared at Raph outside the prison. "I have a little something for you." He pulled out the pocket watch and threw it into Raph's hand. He just stared at the thing as he opened it._

"Casey has given me some pretty weird presents in the past...but they always prove useful. This one was a radio receiver made to look like a pocket watch."

"Hmm. Inspector Jones. I hear he is an excellent investigator...if he were not a buffoon."

Raph growls at the insult. "Speaking of, where is Stockman anyway? I know he's on this ship somewhere!" he demands.

"Ah, Stockman, correct?" Shredder nods at Kraang, who presses a button. A chair slowly turns around and Raph is shocked to see Stockman's body sitting there casually.

"You..." He says with hate.

"Rest assured, that is only his 'shell'." Shredder elaborates and Raph huffs.

"His 'shell', eh?" Raph looks furious. "So where's Donnie's body?!"

"His spirit is absent while your brother's shell is useless to him now. Right now...he is controlling your daughter," Shredder says slowly and Raph whips around to him.

"Alright Shredder, you asked for it. Let my daughter go! Take me, just let her go!" Raph screams at him angrily. "Why are you even doing this?!"

"Ha!" Shredder just laughs. "You mutant freaks and Amelia stole away my daughter, Karai...so I had Stockman steal your entire family. There is something we require for our plans. Stockman has it. That is all that matters. Nothing else matters. However, it would appear...Stockman has underestimated us. He has left behind his precious bargaining chip here...the fool."

"Bargaining chip...?" Raph murmurs slowly, as Stockman has already discarded Donnie's body like a piece of trash. It sickened him. Suddenly, the table turns around to reveal an empty capsule. He stumbles back in shock.

"The Kraang have already researched it...this 'product' that Stockman has to offer...the source of his powers."

Raph's eyes widen in horror as the Kraang bot presses a button. A claw comes from the capsule and injects itself into Stockman's body. It then takes a tiny piece of the meteorite and the capsule closes itself. The table turns around, with the capsule disappearing. "Wha...what in the shell was that?!"

"The Heart of Darkness fragment. It gives spirits special powers. Special powers that we will use to his advantage. And now our deal with that traitorous Stockman has concluded."

"What are ya talking about?!" Raph grits his teeth at him. If he could figure out where Shredder is, he'd deal with that psycho himself.

"Hmm." Shredder just stares at him. "What a mistake to make...right at the most critical moment. Now, then, Detective Raphael." The video feed then blacks out right then and there. "Farewell."

The Kraang bot slams down a button and the control room suddenly gets jettisoned from the rest of the ship, leaving only water behind.

"What in the world...?!" Donnie exclaims in shock, blinking to make sure he's not dreaming. _The whole room just vanished. Raphael! Where did he go...?_

Every other room is still intact...then there's this loud explosion that causes a blackout. "What now...?" _I think I heard an explosion somewhere..._ "In any case...April and my little niece should be here somewhere." _I smell danger. I'd better find them...and fast!_

He goes into the ghost world and sees Mikey waiting for him nearby. "So you're here, huh?" Donnie asks playfully.

"It's 'Mikey'!" Mikey tells him, wagging his tail.

 _Yes, I think even I remember who you are by now..._ "What do you suppose that shock was a minute ago?" Donnie pats him on the head gently.

"I have no idea, of course. I'm just a little sheltered apartment dog! But Raph..." Mikey sags a little. "Noooo!"

 _What with my loss of memory, I can't say I'm much better..._

"Anyway!" Mikey interrupts sharply. "Let's hurry up and go save them!"

"Do you think that trusty nose of yours can sniff 'em out?" Donnie asks him.

"...I'm sorry to say I don't think it can!" Mikey exclaims as he technically can't smell anymore.

 _Why did I even bother to ask?_ "But you DO have the power to swap objects," Donnie smiles gently. "So let's go find that lady detective and the little lady together."

"You got it!" Mikey woofs back in determination. They exit the ghost world and the phone starts ringing nearby.

"The telephone is ringing," Donnie murmurs as he glances at it, but no one is coming to the phone. Normally Kraangs don't use phones, but since the Shredder is commanding this ship, it would make sense to have some senses of human life around...

"Wow! It's Miss Tori! I just know it!" Mikey exclaims, "My trusty nose is practically screaming it at me!"

"I think you'd call that more of a hunch," Donnie points out. "Anyway, let's get to the phone before it stops ringing."

"You bet!" Mikey barks and control is switched to him. He travels left to a baseball that's being held by a net. He switches it with a basketball, which moves the baseball up so that Donnie can reach it. Control is now back to Donnie.

He travels to the baseball that was just switched and moves to an emergency light so Mikey can do his thing.

Mikey travels to another basketball and switches it with the baseball in the middle. The baseball moves closer to Donnie and the aftershock explosion happens, causing the phone receiver to be knocked off the hook. Mikey can hear something, but it's faint.

"I think I just heard another little explosion in the distance..." I've got a bad feeling about this...

"Donnie! Look!" Mikey stares at the phone that's almost within Donnie's reach. "That black 'hello?'!" It came off the hook!"

 _Uh oh...I'd better answer it...fast!_

Control is now with Donnie, who moves to the baseball, then the valve, and finally reaches his destination. It's Tori on the other line, where it's also dark where she is. She's clutching the receiver. "Hello?! Is anybody there?!" She shouts in panic.

 _It's her! Tori!_

"It's your Uncle Donnie!" He immediately shouts back. "Where are you?"

"Somebody please answer...!" Tori looks like she's about to cry as she's scared. Obviously something happened.

 _I guess she can't hear my 'voice'..._

"You too, huh?" Mikey looks up at him. "Oh, good! I thought she was ignoring me."

"Somebody help me..." Tori begs sadly. "April...April is..."

She said April! That was immediately a trigger for him. He...can't stop thinking about her. Her voice is like an angel, her eyes are deep and beautiful, and her hair...but she's a human, and he's dead. She would never like him the way he likes her...

"Miss April!" Mikey shouts loudly.

 _We'd better hurry!_

"Let's go, Donnie!" Mikey urges and together they both travel to the unknown room.

"It's no use. Nobody's answering," Tori sniffles and puts the phone back down. She hangs her head.

"Miss...Miss Tori!" Mikey shouts in panic that she's crying. "And..." The two look to see that April has died again. She's laying down in some water that's seeped into the room, but they can obviously see all the blood that's darkening the water. "Miss...Miss April! Oh, poor Miss April!"

 _Yeah. She can't seem to catch a break. It looks like another tragedy has happened..._

Donnie then appears in Tori's mind. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Tori."

"Uncle Donnie boy!" Tori looks happy to see him, beaming. "I knew you'd come!"

"Miss Tori! Miss Toriiiiiii!" Mikey shouts, tackling her to the ground.

"And Mikey, too! I'm so glad to see you two are alright!" Her sad demeaner has immediately gone away.

"Well...I wouldn't say I'm 'alright,' exactly..." Mikey looks away nervously as she doesn't know that he's dead.

"Hey, wait a minute..." She places a hand on her cheek in thought. "Mikey, your voice...I think I remember hearing it somewhere before."

"What? My voice...?" He asks in confusion as he didn't talk to her when he saved her himself.

 _Hmm. That's right...Tori has a core now. So that means...she DID hear Mikey's voice before...when he saved her that time..._

"So that was you, wasn't it, Mikey?" Tori stares at her dog in recognition. "You're the one who saved me in the park tonight..." A tear falls down her eye. "Thank you!" While she was still kidnapped, she's so grateful to him that he saved her life.

"Miss Tori...I'm so glad I was born your little doggie!" Mikey chirps at her and Donnie glances at him.

"Hey, Mikey? Could you stay here and watch over your mistress for a while?"

"Huh?!" Mikey asks in surprise, "But don't you need your powers?!"

Donnie smiles at the two of them. "I'll see what I can do on my own for a while. After all, you're the only one who can protect her." He nuzzles Mikey on the head.

"Okay! I...I'll do it!" Mikey promises, knowing that Donnie only did that so Mikey can watch over Tori like he would want to.

"Thank you, Mikey and Uncle Donnie!" Tori says gratefully with a bright smile.

"I'll be back as soon as I can with April, okay?" He questions softly, patting them both on the head. He moves from the phone to a wheel. He's too far to reach April's body, so he does a trick to turn the wheel. He reaches out to April's corpse and enters her subconscious.

"Oh, Donnie! You're here!" She exclaims happily as soon as he arrives. He smiles softly at her genuine happiness at seeing him. Maybe deep down...she really did like him.

"April!" He asks in concern. "What in the world happened here?!"

"I...I don't know," She stammers nervously, rubbing her neck.

"Huh?"

She covers her mouth with her hands. "I just sort of blacked all of a sudden. Next thing I know, I was dead!"

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know, in that case," He murmurs to himself, as with every death, she lost her memory of what happened.

"And where's Raph?! Is he alright?!" April demands and he hangs his head.

"I...I don't know," he admits slowly, remembering that the room disappeared...who knows what happened to his brother?

"Huh?" April is confused at his tone.

"The room he was in just disappeared all of a sudden," He rubs his chin as he tries to understand how that was even pulled off.

"Now it's all making even less sense than before..." She mutters in disbelief and to be honest, that's how Donnie's felt about this entire night. "After we left the super's office, we followed after Stockman...who was still in your body. We tracked him with that radio transmitter Casey fired into him with the bullet. Stockman took a boat out to sea from a small harbor on the edge of town. Raph and I managed to secretly stow away on his boat. And then we sneaked onto the Technodrome with him when it surfaced. Before long, the Technodrome dove back down again. Raph and I decided to split up. He would take care of the telephone line, and I would look for Tori. I found Tori hiding here in the engine room. She had escaped and run away here."

"Wow. That's quite an adventure. What happened next?"

"I...I don't know," She sweats a little.

"Huh?"

"There was a flash of white all of a sudden. Next thing I know, I was dead!" She exclaims, which means she must've died sometime after she found Tori. What could've happened, he had no idea.

 _Oh, boy. It sounds like I'd be quicker to see for myself._

He presses rewind time and together, they head off to see April's fifth death...which is hopefully the last one. She has a terrible track record for staying alive.

 _4:22 AM. Technodrome Engine Room. 4 minutes before death._

April is looking over Tori, who's laying down on a bed. She had found Tori here like this and is now trying to wake her up. "Tori, are you okay...?" She whispers softly so as not to alarm Tori or scare her in any way.

She strokes Tori's back...until the mutant lizard girl slowly sits up...and strikes a gun onto the ground, causing April to stumble back in surprise. "T-Tori...?"

Tori slowly lifts up her head. It is her, but she's not even looking at April as her hair covers her eyes in a dark shadow.

"Hello, April...or is it 'Detective' now? It's been ten years since we last met."

She immediately knew that voice and by the dialogue, that's not Tori in there...

April stands up, backing away slowly as she looks at Tori in horror. "Are you...?" She covers her mouth as she tries not to cry. "Are you really Baxter Stockman? The one from the park ten years ago?"

Stockman gets down from the bed, casually holding the gun. "Well, well. I see there's no need to introduce myself."

"Give Tori back!" April shouts at him. "She has nothing to do with any of this! And where's Donnie's body?!"

"Afraid I can't do that or answer your silly little question. This is my last chance."

The phone suddenly rings and neither of them move to answer it. April felt like if she did, he'd shoot her right there and then.

"The phone is ringing," She states simply.

"It's not for me. Nobody ever calls the dead," Stockman replies coolly before he puts the gun in the right hand, pointing straight at April. She holds up her hands in surrender, to try and appeal to Stockman. The phone continues to ring as the air is tense. "The fact that you're here...means that my revenge plan has failed. Only slightly."

"Revenge plan...?" April murmurs quietly.

"It didn't happen tonight, did it? His execution," Stockman says knowingly and April shakes a little, knowing that he's talking about Raph. How he knew that, she couldn't begin to guess. However, it is Stockman, and he is anything but a fool.

"W-Well..." She tries not to look nervous as she still has a gun pointed at her.

"Knowing him, I half expected as much..." Stockman sighs a little. "That's why I was waiting here like this...waiting for him to show up." The gun clicks and April starts sweating. "Wouldn't it be just what he wanted? To be executed by his own daughter?"

April is silent as she couldn't begin to imagine how Stockman must feel. Having no body...no family...no friends. But possessing a little girl to kill her father...she can't let that happen. Raph would be heartbroken, and...Donnie would never recover. She cared about him...and she didn't want him to be hurt this way. "I heard about ten years ago. I feel sorry about what happened to you. But revenge...?"

"...Nobody could possibly know. What I've-"

Suddenly, the same explosion Donnie heard happens, causing April to stumble a little. She looks around, unable to pinpoint where it possibly came from. "Wh-What in the world...? An explosion...?"

"Uh-oh...I've got a bad feeling about this..." Stockman hears something and looks up. "Have I been had...? The aftershock happens and some debris threatens to fall on him. April can't let Tori die! Even though Stockman's possessing her body, that little girl is still in there somewhere.

"Look out!" She shouts loudly, pushing Tori out of the way as the debris falls and hits April on the head, causing a massive hemorrhage that results in her death.

"Revenge, huh?" Donnie murmurs to himself after they're done watching. "That's a feeling I just can't understand."

"Of course not. You're not Stockman," April tells him gently and he smiles at her.

 _She's right. I'm NOT him._

"He was going to shoot Raph," April frowns deeply. "As Tori...when he came to rescue her...It's just too horrible..."

Donnie stares at her, sensing her distress. He engulfs her into a warm hug and she leans on his plastron, hugging him back. It's so weird, it's like she's actually hugging the real Donnie...she can feel his warm embrace.

"Anyway, let's bring you back to life...again," He smirks playfully.

"You didn't have to add the again part!" She complains at him. "Jerk."

"I'm the jerk who saves your life," He winks at her and she crosses her arms with a pout.

"Yeah, I know..."

The starting part is near the stairs, since that's where April died. He can't reach any objects at the moment, so he has to wait for the right time.

"Are you okay?" April asks in concern as she's looking over Tori, who slowly gets up and slams down the gun as Stockman. "T-Tori...?"

"It's been ten years."

April's eyes widen at the voice as she gets to her feet, backing away slowly. "Are you...?"

Stockman gets off the bed and confronts April about the stopped execution. The phone goes off. "The phone is ringing."

"It's not for me. Nobody ever calls the dead." Stockman points the gun at April, who holds up her hands as an attempt to stop him. Donnie travels to the gun, then the wheel, then to another wheel above the phone. He makes it turn and it ultimately falls off, knocking the receiver off in the process.

"Hey, we somehow managed to knock down the receiver!" April claps at Donnie proudly.

 _Somehow managed? Who's to say that's not how I planned it?_

"Come on, hurry! Now's your chance to get on the phone!" April urges him. "It might be Raph!"

Donnie's eyes widen as technically, they don't know who was calling. _She's right. I'd better check it out!_

Donnie moves to the phone. Unfortunately, it is not Raph, but instead, one of the Kraang. "Is there any Kraang there? If there are the ones who are called Kraang, get to that which is here, on the double. We are about to head out...Speak up! Why do they not answer...?! Arrive to that which is here if you are arriving. We are leaving."

Donnie chooses to go to where this bot is since there's not really much he can do to stop falling debris.

"It must be true what they say..." The bot murmurs, "That there are that which are called restless ghosts onboard..."

 _New info has been added._

The Kraang bot hangs up the phone. "That does it! I as Kraang promise to turn over that which is known as a new leaf, Mother." The bot climbs up the ladder.

"Who is he calling 'restless ghosts'?!" April asks in defense.

"Well, it's true neither one of us is really 'resting in peace' right now..." Donnie gives her a look.

"Anyway..." April rolls her eyes. "It looks like the Technodrome just lost one of its crew."

 _Hmm...I guess that means the 'fate' of this ship has changed slightly._

 _Fate Changed!_

Just nearby, Raph is talking with the Shredder, Stockman's 'shell' sitting right next to him. To April, it's a little creepy... "Stockman has underestimated us. He has left behind his precious bargaining chip here...the fool."

"Bargaining chip...?" Raph murmurs before the table switches to have the capsule instead of the telephone.

"It's Raph!" April cries out in relief. "What's going on there?! Shredder is talking to him?!"

"I saw this little 'deal' go down once before..." Donnie murmurs in realization. _In just a moment...Stockman is about to get his Heart of Darkness fragment taken away..._

He needs to move, quickly! He travels to the valve that's on the left. He then goes to the basketball, and lands in the wastebasket. He does a trick on the wastebasket to open it, causing the basketball to be knocked towards the ceiling. He jumps inside before he lost his chance, and he moves to the emergency light.

The bot presses a button, and the fragment is taken from Stockman's body. The table spins around so that the capsule disappears, landing on a conveyor belt. It starts to move and Donnie jumps to the capsule when it passes by him. The capsule eventually lands on a lever, which pushes the object up into the air. It lands inside a minisub, which Shredder is in. He had used a video camera in front of him to record his live message to Raph. The rest of the Kraang are inside as they're preparing to leave. The capsule lands in front of Shredder and it opens. He holds up the fragment in its glory, discarding the capsule.

"Ah, the Heart of Darkness fragment. You are mine at last..." He examines it as it's the real thing. "The objective has been achieved. Now we detach the control room as planned."

"Yes, one called the Shredder. Farewell," the Kraang bot still in the control room says to him. He presses a red button in front of him, which causes the control room to disappear as there's rockets underneath it.

"D-Donnie! What just happened?!" April stammers in shock. "The whole room just disappeared...with Raph in it!"

"Don't worry, April," Donnie soothes, rubbing her back gently. "I bet Raph can take care of himself. The main thing right now is rescuing you and Tori."

"I can't believe this is happening...!" April cries out in horror at everything that's going on. First Tori is possessed by Stockman, Shredder is about to escape, and now Raph has disappeared into thin air to who knows where...

"Now, then. We must leave this place...before Stockman discovers what he has lost this day and attempts to attack me. The Technodrome shall be his coffin."

A torpedo emerges from underneath Shredder. "May it lie buried here in the deep sea...forever. Farewell, Stockman!"

The lid closes up the sub and the room fills up with water. The hatch opens up and Shredder makes his escape with the Kraang.

April eyes the torpedo. "Aha! So that's the cause of that giant explosion!" She exclaims, leaving Donnie confused.

"Huh? What is?"

"Don't tell me that's another thing you've forgotten!" April says in shock as Donnie was the brains. "The torpedo! It's like...Well, you've heard of a 'missile' before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, sure," He nods quickly.

"It looks like he plans to sink the submarine with that thing!" April points to the torpedo as it starts the launching process. "This is NOT good! We have to do something before that torpedo is fired!"

Donnie realizes that not only is Stockman here somewhere, but his own body will be stuck with it! From the capsule, he moves to the lever and lowers it. The platform the capsule is on lowers closer to the torpedo. He travels inside the torpedo as it moves to the launching pad. "There's no time! It's gonna launch!"

"Don't worry! We can still find a way to stop it!" April tells him.

"What?! How?!" Donnie exclaims in disbelief.

"Even if the torpedo does launch, we just have to stop it from detonating, right?" April asks nervously. "There's still something we can do...I hope!"

 _Why was the 'I hope' at the end the strongest part of that sentence...?_ Nevertheless, he was going to have to trust April and her word.

"Okay! Here goes!" April declares as the torpedo launches, with the two inside. The torpedo travels a small distance before turning around, heading for the Technodrome. Inside the torpedo is a rat? There are these black clamps spinning around, a red button, and a joint. The rat's sitting between the button and the button and the joint.

"I came along for the ride without giving it too much thought," Donnie murmurs to himself. ...But was it really the best move?

"I think so!" April interrupts his thoughts. "We just have to keep it from going off, right?" She eyes the inside. "I'm sure this poor little rat will thank us, too!"

How in the world did it get in here?

He moves to the spinning left clamp. "I think these outside parts are supposed to be weights of some sort," April explains as she examines them.

"The spinning black things, right?" Donnie questions as he's not familiar with how torpedoes work. Or maybe he is and he just didn't remember. Another thing that he has yet to recover from his memory...

"Apparently, their spinning helps the torpedo maintain its balance," She murmurs, eyeing the rest of the torpedo. "They must be pretty heavy. You were the one who taught me this, in fact."

"I did? Huh," Donnie smiles slightly, proud of himself. _I wonder if we can use these weights to our advantage somehow...?_ He decides to try it out and flips the left weight so that it's downwards. He goes over to the right and does the same thing to the right weight. He moves to the joint, since April's eyes turn fearful every time he goes to the button. That must be what sets off the torpedo, so he's not going to push it.

He goes to the joint and operates it, causing the middle clamp to move, but the rat's head prevents it from closing. He pushes up the clamp so that he doesn't get crushed, shaking his head.

"Hmm. This looks like just the thing..." April mutters in thought, "If we clamp this thing on the fuse, it should keep it from moving!"

"Uh...so what does that mean, exactly?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"It means we might be able to stop the torpedo from exploding with this!" April explains in relief.

"I have to admit, I don't understand all the details..." Donnie confesses before he takes a hold of her hand. "But I do want to give it a try." They smile softly at each other before April glances away at something.

"But before we can do that..."

It looks like we have to get something out of the way first, huh?

Donnie moves to the left weight and makes it stop upward instead of downwards. He goes to the right one and does the same thing. This flips the torpedo upside down due to the heavy weight. The rat crawls down and escapes.

"Great! We've dumped the little creature off!" Donnie cheers.

"Wow. Those weights were heavy enough to turn the whole torpedo over," April comments in slight shock. "Now for that safety device!"

"Right!" Donnie nods as he heads over to the joint and operates it again. The safety device is turned on. "There! We clamped the safety device on!"

"We did it!" April exclaims happily. "That should keep this torpedo from exploding!" Since the torpedo won't go off, that means April won't die in the explosion. "But there's just one problem..."

"Problem...? What's that?" Donnie had just prevented her fifth death, what problem could there be?

"The torpedo is still going to impact," April cringes, "We can't do anything about that..."

"Uh-oh..." Donnie mutters as there is nothing they can do. The torpedo hits the side of the Technodrome, causing a large hole. Donnie looks to see that April is fine and the impact caused Tori to fall.

"Wh-What was that noise...?" April stammers as Donnie rubs his chin.

"Hmm. It looks like the torpedo still hit the Technodrome..."

"But it looks like the ship is still okay," April smiles brightly. "This changes everyone's fate, including the little rat's. Donnie, we did it!" She leaps over and hugs him. He hugs her back, stroking her hair softly. His eyes widen at his action, but she hums, having no problem with it.

 _Fate Averted!_

While Donnie is happy that he saved April's life, something is still bothering him and April notices it. "What's the matter? You still look unhappy."

"We stopped the torpedo from blowing up...but we still opened up a gaping hole in the ship," he points out, frowning in worry. What did this mean for the Technodrome, April, and Tori? He didn't know.

"Hmm...You're right. I guess-"

"I guess that's just what missiles do! They're unstoppable!" A voice calls out and Donnie looks around in surprise.

 _Huh? Am I hearing things...?_ Donnie shakes his head to snap out of it. Perhaps it was just his imagination. "Anyway...I guess we'd better get back to the present as quickly as she can."

"Right! I'm worried about Tori!" April replies in concern because the last time she talked to the girl, she was possessed by Stockman. She hoped that she was okay...

They managed to stop death for now, but it hasn't disappeared all together. It's now slowly but surely filling the room...

When Donnie arrives, the water is rising from the hole. "Uh-oh," He frowns in worry. "Water is seeping in through the hole where the torpedo hit." He looks to see April trying to wake up Tori, the water slowly seeping into one of her boots. "I've got to get them out of here. I'd better go meet up with April!"

From the torpedo, he moves to a piece of machinery nearby. He makes it operate and watches how it works. Some gears spin, along with a few fans above. "The lights went out, but this machine apparently still works." After a few seconds, everything stops. "Unfortunately, I guess it won't run for very long. But maybe I can use its movements to help me create a path."

He starts it up again and when the core is close enough, he goes right to the wheel. He then goes right to the other wheel, to the balancer, and to the gear. The two gears in the area rotate and he lets the left gear take him to the right. He jumps to the right gear and jumps to the piston. It goes up, allowing him to reach the flashlight. April moves back as Tori starts to wake up, lifting her head slowly. She then turns to April.

"April..." She looks remorseful.

"Tori!" April exclaims in relief that Stockman has left her body, but that means he's still around since his body has disappeared along with Raph. "You're awake! How do you feel?!"

"I'm so sorry..." Tori sniffles, "I'm sorry I pointed that gun at you!" Tears fall down her cheeks as she hugs April, crying softly.

"Oh, don't worry about that," April soothes her by rubbing her back. "That wasn't you."

"Miss Tori!" Mikey exclaims at her crying. He wasn't going to let her cry.

"Oh, Mikey! You're here," Tori looks up as she seems a little relieved.

"Or, poor Miss Tori!" Mikey shouts dramatically, "Miss April, what should we do?!"

"We have to get out of here, before any more water comes in," April looks down at the water below her feet. "Donnie should be along any second."

"I knew that Uncle Donnie boy would come!" Tori smiles happily at the mention of him.

"And Mikey is here, too!" Mikey chimes in and Tori grins in amusement.

"April...do you like Uncle Donnie?"

April's eyes widen as she looks away bashfully with red cheeks. Donnie's mouth drops open at her reaction as it's not a terrible one. "Well...don't tell him, but...yeah. Ever since I saw him again...I've liked him. I didn't care that he was dead...or that he was a turtle...to me, he's a regular person. He's really funny and he knows how to handle a stressful situation..."

Donnie can't help but grin at that. April...liked him. There was nothing else to really say, but...he has a chance. He actually has a chance.

"I'm so happy everybody's going to be with me now!" Tori beams before she falls unconscious. April gasps in shock.

"Tori!" She yells in concern.

"Miss Tori!" Mikey screams but she does not wake up. It was probably due to shock or maybe a side effect of being possessed. April stands up, looking over the mutant girl.

"I'll get you out of here!" She clenches her fists in determination. "If it's the last thing I do!"

"Aw...I think I'm going to cry..." Mikey looks up at April.

 _...Or whimper, as the case may be..._

"I'd better send a signal to April that I'm here. Before it's too late!" Donnie would deal with April about his feelings later. Right now, their safety is top priority. Donnie does a trick on the flashlight, turning it on as April is looking around for him. She turns to the flashlight.

"Oh! Look at that flashlight...it's Donnie. He's here!" She smiles happily and even though he says nothing, Donnie returns the smile. She bends down to Tori. "Up you go!" She carries Tori piggyback style and walks up the stairs. She leans down and picks up the flashlight, throwing it into her hand. "I'm glad you're here, Donnie..."

"Sorry for the wait," He apologizes, trying not to blush. "It looks like this room is gonna fill up with water fast." He sees a door right behind the bed. "We'd better get that door as quick as we can."

"We won't be getting out that door, I'm afraid," April sweats a little. "The water pressure is too great already. I can't open it."

"What?!" Donnie exclaims in shock before he thinks for a few seconds. "...What does 'water pressure' mean?"

"Think of it as the force of the water holding the door closed," April explains and he nods in understanding. "The water level keeps getting higher and higher in here."

 _So the only way out of here is up, huh?_

"Exactly," April tells him.

"Okay, got it. Let's look for a path that goes up!" Donnie orders and she takes a look around using the flashlight. She eventually finds a ladder, but it's not lowered, so she can't reach it.

"Hey, look at that ladder...I wonder if we can get it down somehow?"

"Good idea. Let's try it," Donnie suggests and she smiles sheepishly.

"Oh, and by the way..."

"Yes?"

"I can't swim," April rubs her neck using the hand that's holding the flashlight. "Neither can Tori."

"Don't you have any good news for me?" Donnie asks sarcastically.

"Hmm, let me think about it! In the meantime, could you hurry, please?" She beams and he sighs in defeat. He moves to a handle and does a trick on it. It causes steam to emit near a pair of gloves and they drop on the floor above. He moves to the switch and lowers it, which in turn lowers the ladder in front of April. "You did it, Donnie! Thanks!" She says gratefully, putting the flashlight in her coat pocket. She climbs up the ladder all the way to the second level, where there's a door behind her. The ship shakes, causing her to lose her balance, but she grips onto the bar from the railing, climbing back up to where she was. She adjusts Tori on her back. "What was that?"

"It looks like water seeping in isn't the only thing we have to worry about..." Donnie murmurs as April takes the flashlight out, but it doesn't turn on.

"Huh?" She examines it. "Donnie! The flashlight doesn't work anymore!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me," He recites and she pouts.

"Maybe the contacts are bad or something. Hey, I know!" A smile comes to her face in realization. "You can fix it with your powers!"

 _Okay, now that's just taking things too far..._

He decides to try it anyway since April would just complain. He moves to the flashlight and turns it on, to April's surprise. "Oh, hey, great! You still have your technical skills from your past life!"

"That's kinda cruel, considering the circumstances," Donnie admits, since he still doesn't remember a thing. "Now, all we have to do..." He glances at the foor a few feet away from April.

"Is get to that door, and we're safe!" April finishes his sentence. Suddenly the Technodrome shakes again and starts tilting. April hangs on as best as she can, but when the ship moves all the way to its side, she can't hang on and falls, protecting Tori from the fall.

"April! Tori!" Donnie shouts, looking to see Tori had fallen softly on a panel, and April is down a few feet below. He waits in anticipation, relieved when she lifts her head.

"Ow..." She rubs her back and sits up, looking around to see their new position. "What happened now?!"

"It looks like the ship decided to rear up on its hind legs." Donnie glances at the torpedo.

"I can't believe we're still okay after that fall..." April murmurs, looking down at herself. "Either we're really lucky, or we're dead and we just haven't realized it yet..."

 _Come on, now. As if the latter could be true!_ He really hopes that April has not jinxed herself by saying that. There's a loud noise as April looks over at the water. It starts to rise a little and she grows a little nervous as the water is dangerously close to covering her feet.

"What now?! The water sure is rising fast!"

"Come on!" Donnie urges, looking up at the door that's now the ceiling due to their new position. "You'll just have to go up! Up to the top!" _Let's see how I can help with my ghost tricks!_

He goes to the Ghost World, eyeing another flame knowingly. "Well, well!" He looks on in amusement. "I think I see a familiar 'flame' over there..."

"Donnie!" Mikey cheers at his arrival. "There you are! How's it going?"

"How is it going?" Donnie repeats the question. "I'd say it was going pretty badly! You DO understand how dangerous this situation is, don't you?"

"Of course!" Mikey nods at him. "After all...just ask anybody who knows me how much I hate taking a bath!"

 _Maybe he's been in danger of drowning before himself..._ Donnie then smiles as with Mikey, they can surely accomplish anything. "Okay, ready to create a path for these ladies?"

"Of course!" Mikey answers eagerly. As April grabs Tori and puts her on her back, Donnie gestures for Mikey to adjust the pipes in front of April so she can climb up. Mikey takes control and goes to the right. He travels to a pipe, a shaft, and to the torpedo. From there, he goes up, to the transformer, to the starter, then the wheel, to a balancer, and to a large fan. There are three fans here and he looks up to see a fourth fan. Two of them are medium, and the last fan is smaller. He glances at the pipes and from what he can remember, the machinery here controls the pipes. So if he switches things around...

He switches the medium fan with the one below it. He goes up to the top large fan and switches it with the medium one. He then switches fans again so that the large one is at the bottom. He switches the second medium fan with the smallest one that's up top.

Control is switched to Donnie as April takes the flashlight. She holds it out to the wheel and he jumps to it. He goes to the starter and does a trick on it. The machinery starts up and eventually creates a staircase of pipes for April.

"There! How about that?"

"Wow, this is great!" She giggles slightly. "You made a staircase for me!"

"Well, I am a gentleman," Donnie winks at her. "You'd better hurry! I don't think that water is gonna wait for you."

She puts the flashlight away and climbs up the pipes, holding Tori over her shoulder. She makes it to the top of the machine, just as more water seeps in, filling up all the way to the machine. She climbs up a ladder and crawls to an area with steam pipes. When she moves, she gets hit with the steam and recoils back.

"Ouch!" She rubs her head as she looks at the steam still running. "Now this steam is getting in the way! It's too hot to get through!" She shouts in frustration.

"What?!" He exclaims and she looks around.

"And there's no way to go around, either. Think you can do something?"

"Of course we can!" Mikey chimes in.

 _We have to!_

Now Donnie has to get where April is. He makes the machine operate again since that's the only way up without going too far. He moves to the gears and then to the wheel above April. He spins it, but it's not enough as the steam only gets bigger.

Control is now in Mikey's paws so that he can switch some pipes around. He switches the upper right pipe with the lower right pipe. He then switches the upper left pipe with the lower left pipe. He switches the upper two pipes and Donnie flips the wheel again. All the steam goes away.

"There. How does that look?"

"It looks great! All that horrible steam is cleared out of the way! Thank you!" April grins at them.

"Okay, it's not far now. Try to move forward," Donnie encourages her and she crawls across the pipes slowly. Luckily, no steam touches her, but now she's stuck as there's nothing on the other side she can grab to get up to the door. She looks up the ceiling a few feet away.

"Look up there! If I can just make it to that door...we can escape! Now how in the world am I going to get up there?!"

"Don't yell at me," Donnie holds up his hands in defense.

"If you want to yell, you can yell at me!" Mikey barks and April stares at him.

"Mikey...how can I yell at you when you're so sweet about it?!"

 _Uh, I think you just did..._

"Let's look for something to pull Miss April up with!" Mikey suggests and Donnie nods.

"Yes, something to whisk Miss April up and glide her ever so gently to the top with," Donnie smirks, crossing his arms with his eyes closed.

"Hey! Are you being sarcastic?!" April exclaims at him and he chuckles. Donnie goes left to the pipe, up the emergency light, left to the gloves, left to a panel, up to a switch, up to a fuse box, and finally to a hook with a chain. He does a trick on the hook to lower it all the way to April. "Alright! Now THIS is what I'm talking about!"

She puts her foot on the hook, looking up at the door. "Okay! Raise away!" Donnie does a trick to raise the hook, taking April and Tori all the way up to the door. She reaches her foot out to the railing across from her, and the water goes all the way up to her feet again. She grabs the door handle, pulling at it with all her strength, but it doesn't open. She sighs slowly. "Sorry, I can't do it. Open it. Hurry..." She whispers to Donnie.

"Is that any way to ask for something?" He asks and she doesn't answer. He goes up to the door and presses trick, but still nothing. The door won't budge, it's like something else is blocking the other side. "It's no use! I can't budge it. It must be stuck!"

"What?! Oh, no!" April starts to panic as the water starts rising up to her ankles. "Noooooo!"

"This way!" A voice shouts and the door somehow opens. A strange crane-like object enters the room, snatching April and Tori.

"Eeeek!" April cries out in panic. "Donnie!"

"April! Tori!" Donnie yells before they're taken into the room, with the door closing. Donnie's mouth opens in shock at what happened.

What just happened? He can't believe his eyes...April and the little lady suddenly vanished, leaving only darkness and seawater. The ship—The Technodrome—continues to sink down—down into the deep, deep sea. But he still wants to try and make his way 'up' as far as possible.

He still wants to head up, to find a single ray of light...Light to illuminate the 'truth' at the bottom of his deep, deep darkness...


	17. Chapter 17

_5:10 AM_

The upended ship continues to sink, slowly but surely...A long, long journey to the bottom of the sea.

April and the little lady found the darkness and the salt water closing in on them. But at the very last second, 'something' saved them. Now it looks down at them quietly.

Donnie looks up into the room to see the giant claw still staring at April, who's panting heavily. Tori is laying down besides her, and further in the room...is Donnie's body.

His head is filled with one giant question: What in the world is this thing?

The claw moves around as April looks up, screaming and backing away to the wall. It stands up straight before eventually breaking down. A gear floats into the air, spinning as the pile of junk underneath forms into a body, with the claw being the right arm. The head that's made of brass material spins around and looks down at them.

"I see you managed to survive, Detective."

They knew that voice. "Hey, y-you're...!" April stammers, pointing to him in shock. He simply salutes to them.

"Excuse my appearance," Stockman apologizes," I seem to have lost my body." He then turns to Donnie and looks straight at him. "Oh, and YOU there. You're Donatello, the ghost who's been saving April all evening, aren't you?"

Donnie's eyes widen. "Y-You knew about me all along?" Donnie exclaims in shock, wondering how Stockman knew.

"Of course. What else would explain all those unnatural things happening? After all...I was using your body," Stockman glances at the turtle body.

"If you knew, how come you didn't do anything about it all this time?" April demands as she glares, trying not to be loud so she doesn't wake up Tori. "And how come you decided to save us all of a sudden? I thought you wanted to get revenge on us?"

Stockman turns back to her, silent for a few seconds. "I don't really know..."

Donnie looks at him sharply. "Please! You gotta tell me...I need to know..." There's a flash and then Donnie is suddenly a blue flame himself, the only difference being that he still wears his purple mask. "Who in the world are you?"

"D-Donnie!" April stares at him in shock at his new appearance. "Look at you! What happened?"

"I can't hold on to that image of myself any longer," Donnie murmurs to her, "Not when he was using it for evil..."

"You can't remember who you are?" Stockman asks curiously.

"That's right, and I don't have the power to possess my body. Despite my friends telling me, I still can't remember. I came all this way tonight, trying to chase down my lost memory. For quite a bit tonight, I thought I was...well, you, Stockman."

"You thought you were me?" Stockman asks in confusion before thinking to himself. "I bet you'll remember really soon. Who you are...and who I am, too."

"What?!" Donnie questions at that. Why would he have to remember Stockman? The man in front of him is definitely not him. He's even further away from the truth. Or maybe not...Something is stirring in his mind, a memory about to emerge...

Does he know Stockman on a personal level...? Now that he's shed his image of himself for now, he feels like he's one step closer...to the truth.

Stockman takes a seat across from April, who bends down and grabs Tori. She places her down on a pillow to let her rest, stroking her head. She sits down near the girl as she looks at Stockman. "They got us good. It's all over for this ship," Stockman explains, sighing slowly. "Its engine room is destroyed. There's a hole in the hull, and it's sinking as we speak."

"What are you doing here?" April asks curiously. "I thought you had a deal with Shredder and the Kraang?"

"They betrayed me," Stockman narrows the fake pencil eyebrows. "I was a fool to trust them. They already have what they wanted now."

"The Heart of Darkness fragment..." Donnie murmurs in realization.

"I didn't know they had it all figured out," Stockman admits and April's mouth opens in shock.

"You mean, they figured out the source of your powers?"

"Yes...That meteorite's radiation has two effects on living creatures. It gives power, and time."

"If you don't mind...we'd like to hear more," April says seriously.

"These ten years...I've been watching that junkyard superintendent do his research," Stockman starts off. "And I think I've kind of got some of it figured out." He shows the Ghost World as an example, with Mikey and Donnie's flames there as well as his. "The meteorite's radiation gives spirits special powers."

 _Like possessing and manipulating objects..._

"And in my case, swapping objects!" Mikey chimes in.

"Exactly," Stockman nods at them. "Apparently, there are individual differences in the powers we get. And it seems these powers change as time goes by."

"They do?" Donnie asks in surprise as Lia and Ryan didn't mention that part.

"Yes. My powers have changed over these past ten years. At first, I could only manipulate small living creatures." He goes back to the normal world. "Now, then. How do you suppose we got these powers...? It's simple."

"It is? How, then?!" April wanted to know why she hadn't gotten ghost tricks despite dying five times tonight.

"In a nutshell...we died while exposed to the energy emitted by the meteorite—its radiation," Stockman simply answers.

"That's what does it?" April asks in shock. "Dying while being exposed to the radiation...?

 _Stockman held April as Raph pointed a gun at him._ "On that day ten years ago..." _The meteorite crashed, one of the fragments hitting Stockman in the back. April fell to the ground as the culprit died behind her._ "A fragment of that meteorite pierced my heart, and I died." _He found himself in the Ghost World._ "So, of course, I received special powers."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Mikey realizes something. "Is that how I got my powers, too?"

"You know, you might be right...!" April murmurs as she recalls how Mikey died.

 _Mikey ran for Tori, only to be run over by Fishface who was following after Tori. He fell in the crater that had the meteorite, allowing him to have ghost powers as well._

"Aren't the Heart of Darkness remnants still right there in that park, at the bottom of the crater?" April asks and Donnie turns to her.

"You're right!" _So...that must mean...I must've died in the presence of the meteorite's radiation, too..._

"Another effect the meteorite's radiation has on us is that it gives us time," Stockman speaks up. "Again, I think this 'time effect' is centered around the theme of death, but it's not all that clear."

 _So the fact that I can return to four minutes before a person's death...is another effect of that meteorite...?_

There's a pause from Stockman. "One of the characteristics of that meteorite is its ability to replay the moment of death."

"Replay the moment of death...?" April asks slowly before holding her head. "Argh! This is all so strange and confusing! I can't take it all in."

"It makes about as much sense to me as anything else!" Mikey comments and Stockman shakes his fake head.

"Yes, strange and confusing...That just about sums up the object that pierced my body that day...Thanks to that meteorite fragment...my very existence is a contradiction."

"What do you mean?" Donnie questions and Stockman sighs.

"That day...when the fragment pierced my heart, I lost my life. However...because it remained inside of me, that fragment continued to constantly regenerate my body, and anybody that I possessed. Sometimes...they'd also get my injuries from my body. In other words...my body was continuously cycling between the moments that separated my 'life' and 'death'."

"Whaaaat?!" April demands in shock.

"My body's vital functions stopped ten years ago. But my body's 'time' is perpetually stopped at the moment just before death."

"Time...just stopped, huh...?" Donnie murmurs in understanding. He knew what that was like, but for a different reason.

"So I just simply existed, not really alive, and not really dead. That pretty much sums up these last ten years for me, ever since that incident in the park. My body hasn't aged a day. My hair hasn't grown an inch." His body is stuck at the time ten years ago...

 _Come to think of it, Dr. Rockwell mentioned something...He said he couldn't cut this guy's body with the scalpel..._

"So I guess, as soon as an incision was made...his body would be regenerated...Wow..." April murmurs in disbelief.

"Before I left this country, I wanted to do one thing," Stockman continues, "I wanted to get revenge on the people who stole our lives."

" 'Our' lives?" April asks in confusion and he realizes his mistake.

"...As part of the deal, I made those guys promise to cooperate."

"Cooperate...? You mean the kidnapping?!" April demands in anger.

"It all went fine...I manipulated Mr. Bishop and made him issue the execution order. But I thought he might call off the execution at the last second."

"So that's why you wanted his daughter kidnapped," Donnie says in realization.

"But they kidnapped the wrong girl," April glances at Tori behind her.

"Little did I know...they had their own reasons for cooperating with me."

"Huh?" April had no idea what those reasons were besides for revenge like Stockman.

"Their objective was to wipe out everybody who had to do with Heart of Darkness."

 _Raph painted in his cell._ "Detective Raphael was one such person, so they were happy to cooperate."

Dr. Rockwell examined Donnie's body as Casey was sitting near him in the office basement. "Inspector Jones and Dr. Rockwell...they were slated to be wiped out, too."

 _Amy, Leo, and Donnie stumbled behind Raph as he was preparing to shoot Stockman._ "Detectives Amelia, Leonardo, and you, Donatello, were also in their sights...And, as it turns out..."

 _Donnie's body got up, Casey getting to his feet in shock. Stockman stood between them._ "I was one of their targets as well. So they stole my Heart of Darkness fragment, and here I am. But they had one more, final target..." Stockman stares at April and her eyes widen that he's indicating her. "You, Detective April O'Neil."

"Me...?" April whispers in surprise.

"If you weren't there in the park that day ten years ago..."

 _Stockman held the unconscious April as Raph had chased him down._ "I never would've thought of doing something as stupid as taking a hostage."

"O-Okay..." April stammers, knowing that going to the park wasn't a good idea at the time. "But I was just a little kid playing in the park."

"...Yeah, I know..." Stockman murmurs and she looks up at him. "Ten years later, and you'd become a detective, looking into Raph's case. Tonight, I had Donnie invite you to a quiet spot on the edge of town...it was a trap, you see."

 _Donnie turned around to April in the junkyard, being controlled by Stockman. He said something to April, who backed away in shock._

"I told you who I was, through Donnie. You never saw my face that day ten years ago...of course you didn't recognize my voice or believe that I was possessing Donnie."

 _April slowly shook her head and Donnie just shrugged. He leaned back against the fence. Stockman traveled to the Ghost World, traveling to April._

"I took possession of you...to make you shoot me and Donnie in the process."

 _April slowly pulled out her gun from her coat pocket, Stockman now controlling her. Stockman looked up, the arm shaking as he pointed at Donnie, whose eyes were closed._

"Your subconscious resisted me...Such incredible power...! It was the first time I wasn't able to control somebody completely."

 _The first shot hit the bag Donnie was holding_.

"The aim was off, and the first shot missed the mark."

 _Stockman aimed again and killed Donnie, dropping the gun._

"The junkyard was equipped with security cameras. I knew you'd be wanted for murder. That was my plan, anyway."

 _April was trying to wake Donnie up until she stood to her feet, backing away as Snake appeared with the gun. She hit the fence and looked back to Snake as Donnie's body lay between them. Snake pointed the gun at her and she held up her arms, looking around nervously._

"But they had other ideas. They simply wanted you wiped out. But then...something threw a big monkey wrench into their scheme."

 _The crossing gate moved up, knocking the gun out of Snake's hands. April pushed past him without a second thought._

 _I showed up._

"I was supposed to meet up with them after that. But then something went wrong..."

"What happened?" April murmurs.

"Donnie's body disappeared."

 _Aha. The inspector in black was responsible for that one._

"My precious bargaining chip was in that body. I had to get it back, no matter what. That inspector caused me nothing but trouble..."

Donnie hums at that, as Casey would be the type to get on peoples' nerves. "But why were those people targeting me?" April murmurs as she frowns slightly. "I never even heard of the Heart of Darkness meteorite."

"Because you were looking into the Raphael case," Stockman answers, "They thought you would find out about Heart of Darkness sooner or later." After that, the ship starts to shake a few times, causing April to sit up, looking around. Stockman glances around before April sits back down. "And that's pretty much the whole story. The only thing left to do now is wait for water pressure to crush this ship."

"Oh, no..." April murmurs as that means they'll all die here.

"There are no cores that link from here to the water's surface," Stockman reports gravely.

"I have an idea!" Donnie speaks up eagerly, "We hook up to the phone line and-"

"There are no communication cables down this deep," Stockman shakes his head slowly. "They meant for this ship to be my coffin—a coffin for the dead. There's no escape."

April looks down as she thinks about the situation. "I think I kind of understand now...what you've been feeling these ten years." A tear comes to her eye and Stockman looks shocked.

"You what...?"

"This feeling... cut off from the world, all alone in a ship...sinking slowly towards the bottom of an endless sea...this must be how you felt all along," She whispers and Stockman says nothing as the ship shakes again. Tori suddenly wakes up by the feeling, lifting her head up and turning to April.

"April...?"

April turns around at the voice. "T-Tori!"

"Is it true? We're struck here...?" her voice wavers.

"What?!" April exclaims in surprise that Tori heard her. "Oh, uh..." She doesn't really know what to say as Tori sits on the pillow, hanging her head.

"If my dad..."

April lifts her head up at the mention of him. "If my dad were here...I bet he'd save us."

The redhead then grabs her hair, remembering what happened to Raph. "Oh, Tori! I'm so sorry!"

 _Hmm...That's funny..._

"What is it, Donatello?" Stockman asks.

"There's something I don't understand. Why would they go to all the trouble of detaching the control room?"

"What?" Stockman murmurs in confusion.

"Why didn't they just steal the Heart of Darkness fragment and escape, if that's what they wanted? Why did they have to jettison your body off into the sea and leave mine here?"

"Hmm...That's a good question," Stockman realizes the questioning. Why send off the control room when Stockman was already out of his own body? Why even send Raph off at all when they just wanted the fragment from Stockman? "But I guess it doesn't matter why now. We'll never find it again. We have no idea where it was launched to..."

Those last words remind April of something. "Wait a minute!" She stands up to their confusion. "Yes we do!" She beams as she pulls out something from her coat pocket: the pocket watch that allowed Raph to track down the Technodrome. She opens it up. "This will tell us where Raph is!"

"That present from the inspector in black!" Wow, Donnie's so far from his memory that he's forgetting certain people.

"That's right!" April smiles at him. "Raph told me to hold on to it for him...and the bullet is still in Donnie's body in the command room, right? That would mean Stockman's body has the same wound!" She pumps a fist. "Then we should be able to tell exactly where it is with this!"

"B-But...even if we find out where it is, how do we get there?" Donnie stammers nervously.

"We should be able to figure something out, between the three of us!" Mikey grins at Stockman and Donnie. "With our powers...right, Miss April?!"

"Right...!" April says in awe, "Oh, and wait a minute! What about a torpedo...?"

"A torpedo...?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"In any case, it's way too early to give up!" April replies in determination.

 _Hmm. It looks like Raph is our last hope..._

"Come on! Let's get started!" April declares. Donnie heads to the control panel and operates it. A mechanical arm appears, opening up a vault and grabbing some grapes. He goes up to the grapes and then to the telephone. He presses torpedo room. "The torpedo room, huh?"

"There might be another torpedo left there," Donnie explains to her. "I'll go check it out."

"Oh, I get it!" Mikey exclaims knowingly, "You're going to use a missile to ram the control room!"

"Well, I don't know about 'ram.' We don't wanna blow Raph up, do we?" Donnie looks at Mikey with a smug look, Mikey shaking his head rapidly. "But something like that."

"We'll climb up to the torpedo room, too. 'Up' is definitely safer..." April murmurs, remembering all the water in the next room.

"Okay. I'll see you there, then," Donnie nods at her. After he's done checking it out, Tori and April arrive in the torpedo room.

"It looks like the torpedoes can be launched manually with these switches," April smiles as she looks up from the pocket watch to the two switches above her head. "There are two tubes, so there should be one more left. I guess the first thing we have to do is load it into the tube."

"When it comes to missiles, you can count on me!" Mikey chimes in. April looks back at the pocket watch.

"I'll enter the coordinates of the command room into the torpedo." She stands up and puts in numbers to a control panel under the switches. The switches light up as soon as she's done. "And I just turned on the backup power. We ought to be able to use the switches now!"

"Okay," Donnie nods at the plan. "Let's try it!"

"Good luck!" She cheers for him and Donnie goes off to one switch, but it's stuck. He goes over to Mikey to talk with him.

"What will happen to these two ladies...?" Mikey looks worried for Tori and April.

"I think that's up to us...and our powers," Donnie tells him seriously.

"What?" Mikey looks surprised at that.

"This is no time to be standing around, unsure of ourselves. Will you lend me your strength, Mikey?" Donnie needed all the help he could get, and he can't do this on his own. To pull it off was going to take more than just him.

"Me? Of course I will," Mikey says quickly, "Count on it!" He then switches the right switch with the left one and Donnie flips the left switch. He operates it and the torpedo loads.

"There we go! That torpedo looks serviceable," Donnie grins at it and April sits back down.

"All set on this end, too! But something's odd..."

"What is?" Donnie wonders.

"The command room," April looks at the tiny window near her. "It looks like it's slowly sinking."

"Sinking...?"

"Yeah, like it's completely run of power. I wonder what happened?"

"I don't know..." Donnie murmurs to himself, "But I guess I'll find out."

"Right. Okay, hop into the torpedo! I'll launch it for you."

"Okay. Thanks!" Donnie jumps inside the torpedo.

"I've already set the torpedo's course. It'll head toward the command room where Raph is. Twelve seconds afer launching, it'll pass by the command room for an instant. That instant will be your window of opportunity to jump over to the command room," April explains.

"Okay, got it. And then we'll find a way to come back and save you. That'll probably be my last task tonight...Just hold on until we get back," Donnie promises, staring at them seriously. April nods at him and puts the pocket watch away, standing up. "Okay, come on, Mikey."

Mikey says nothing as he glances at Tori and April.

"Mikey...?" Donnie asks in concern.

"I...I'm sorry. I can't go," Mikey shakes his head rapidly.

"What?" Donnie is confused.

"I just can't! How could I leave?!" Mikey sounds like he's about to cry, or whimper, as he looks at his last two owners. "I can't leave Miss April and Miss Tori behind! I can't do it!"

"Mikey..." Donnie murmurs in understanding.

"I swapped the switches so the missile can be launched. You'll have to do the rest, Donnie!"

Donnie looks at Tori and April. _I can't do it, either...I can't ask Mikey to come with me after that. I understand exactly how he feels..._

April looks away as she heard Donnie's thoughts, turning back to the torpedo and gesturing to it with a smile. "I want you to go, Mikey."

"What...?" Mikey looks at her in disbelief. "But, Miss April...!"

"You staying here won't change our fate," April smiles softly. "But if you go with Donnie...you might be able to make something happen. And that's our only hope."

"But...what if that 'something' doesn't happen?!" Mikey questions in worry. "I'll never be able to see you again! Never, ever again! Even I can understand that! I...I couldn't stand that..." When Donnie and his family first adopted Mikey, they treated him as part of the family, and so did Tori and April when they came along. How can he just walk away from them after all they've done for him?

"Don't worry, Mikey," Tori beams at him happily.

"Miss Tori...?" Mikey asks at her tone.

"I just know you and Uncle Donnie boy can make something happen. I believe in you!" She smiles up at them. "I'll be right here waiting for you both. We'll see each other then. Don't worry!"

"...Miss Toriii!" Mikey cries out at how much they loved him and joins Donnie at the torpedo.

"That's a good boy, Mikey," April smiles gently. "Now, are you ready? Remember! It's twelve seconds after I throw this switch!"

"We're ready," Donnie nods slowly as this might be the last time he'll see both of them. April knows this too as she looks away, looking back at Donnie.

"Donnie?"

"Yes?" Donnie murmurs sadly.

"You never got your memory back...but that doesn't matter now," April grins at him. "All I know is...I love you, Donatello. I've always loved you no matter who you are. Thank you...for everything."

Donnie looks at her in shock for her confession before he smiles back, blushing. "I love you too, April...my princess..."

"And we're going to see each other again! Right Uncle Donnie and Mikey?" Tori smiles happily at him.

"That's right. We promise, little lady," Donnie tells her.

"Of course we will!" Mikey interjects, giving Donnie a look. "Dude, we WILL see them!"

"I'll never forget you...no matter what happens," April blushes as she smiles, happy that Donnie returns her affections. Donnie smiles back at her and if he could, he'd embrace her right now...

"...Here goes, then." He didn't want to say goodbye, but if he wants to see them again, he has to get to Raph.

"Good luck...love!" April pulls the switch and Tori waves to the torpedo as it goes to fire. Donnie and Mikey wait as the torpedo launches and the hatch opens up. The torpedo goes off. These twelve seconds are lasting an eternity. I strive to think of a way to save April and his niece the whole time...

But how can a ray of light, of hope, reach this far down into the deep sea? Before he can think of an answer, the twelve seconds are up...

They reach the sinking control room and jump inside. When they arrive, Raph has already been killed, a gunshot wound on his plastron as the blood is slowly drying on the floor. Stockman's body is still there as well.

"Raph!" Donnie lets out some tears and Mikey glares at the Kraang bot.

"I bet that big, mean robot did this! I'm gonna bite him!"

"You'd better not..." Donnie sniffles, "You might break your teeth." _The command room has lost power, and is sinking. So I wonder what this robot is going to do...?_

"Let's talk to Raph!" Mikey suggests and they do just that as they enter the Ghost World and jump to Raph's corpse.

"Sorry for the wait, Raph," Donnie says and Raph stumbles back a little at Donnie's appearance.

"Wh-Who are you?! Is...is that you, Donnie?"

"Please excuse my appearance," Donnie looks a little embarrassed and Raph grins at him.

"I can't believe ya made it here!" His grin then turns into worry. "How is Tori?! And what about April...?"

"Well...it's kind of a long story..."

He told Raph about everything that happened on the Technodrome.

"So the ship is badly damaged?! Why would he do that to his own ship?!" Raph yells in anger.

"I wish I knew..." Donnie murmurs as he's equally as confused.

"I know the answer to that one."

They turn to the voice to see Stockman, still possessing the pile of junk. "It's because he's afraid of my powers."

"Y-You...!" Donnie stammers, wondering how Stockman got here. "You followed us?!" _I didn't even notice!_

"It's been ten long years, Raphael," Stockman stares at the turtle, who immediately recognizes his voice.

"You're...Baxter Stockman, right?" Stockman says nothing and his image changes to Stockman, the other body that's sitting across from the Kraang.

"So you remember me, do you?"

"How could I possibly forget?" Raph narrows his eyes.

"Wait, if your real name is Stockman, why was Shredder referring to you as Donatello...?" Donnie asks in confusion.

"It was just an alias I was using during my deal with them, but Donatello's your real name. Donnie is just a nickname," Stockman elaborates, shrugging. "I didn't see any need to have them use my real name...until they betrayed me, that is."

"Could you do me a favor?" Donnie asks him. "Would you let me ask you some questions? I've been trying to find out my memories all night..."

"Sure," Stockman nods, "Go ahead. I'm sure there's plenty we can still tell you. Right, Raphael?"

"...Right," Raph says slowly, noticing how docile Stockman is right now. Meaning there's some remorse down in there somewhere...getting angry at him wasn't going to help anyone right now. So he's gonna have to trust him for the time being...besides, he seems he really wants to help Donnie, as much as Raph does. "Ten years ago...you were a top systems engineer, weren't you?"

"Systems engineer...?" Mikey asks curiously. "What's that? By the way, you remember I'm a top Pomeranian!"

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain to a dog that I technically own..." Raph pats Mikey on the head. "But it's a person who's good at using computers."

"I don't mean to brag, but I was one of the best in the industry. That's how I got roped into joining that project."

"Project? What project?" Donnie wonders.

"It was a project aimed at reorganizing the country's top-secret information. The goal was to build a new system using multidimensional programming theory," Stockman explains as best as he can. "I was asked to join the project by an agent of the government. You," He looks straight at Donnie.

"So that's how we met, huh?" Donnie asks, as it did make sense. After all, he is supposedly a detective.

"It doesn't sound like something a top Pomeranian would know anything about..." Mikey tilts his head.

"To me, it just sounded like another challenging job. However...this project was also the target of a secret plot. I bet you can imagine the kind of crime the country's top secrets might attract...I never thought for the life of me I'd ever have to deal with spies."

"It was never made public, but every organization in the country moved on this one, including us," Raph looks at Donnie. "And then, one day, the name of a certain programmer emerged as a suspect."

"I was the guy who built the core of the system," Stockman jerks a thumb to himself.

"The police arrested you, and then...that incident happened..." Raph murmurs and Donnie recalls what Raph had said before.

 _Stockman escaped from the interrogation room, and took little April as a hostage..._

"By the way, Raphael," Stockman gives Raph an amused smile. "When was it that I was proven innocent...?"

"About six months after your death," Raph recalls before frowning to himself. "I'm so sorry, Stockman...for everything."

Donnie does a double take as he's never heard Raph apologize. He thought Raph was too proud to actually do that.

"Ten years ago..."

 _The meteorite fell from the sky, causing a loud crash into the ground._ "My soul was split from my body, and I lost everything. I was sealed in eternal darkness. I 'existed' in this world. No question about that..." _Stockman's body walked past people, but they didn't see him._ "But nobody noticed my presence. What good were my 'powers'? They didn't help anybody. Not even the passage of time could heal my pain. In fact, it only made it worse. I wanted to disappear. But I wasn't even allowed to do that. The way April described it is exactly right. 'Sinking slowly towards the bottom of an endless sea...' An overwhelming feeling of loneliness and despair...And I wanted all of you to suffer what I was suffering..."

"And so that's why you murdered Mona, Leo, Amy, and Master Splinter..." Raph narrows his eyes.

"That's right," Stockman nods slowly. "I wanted you to know what it was like to lose everything you cared about...I wanted you to feel the same pain I felt. Same with Donatello..."

"What...?!" Raph asks in shock at what he's hearing.

"...It was the twisted wish of a mind poisoned by infinite loneliness...and then...as I was plotting my revenge, I had an idea. I came up with a plan to use these powers of mine to make a deal."

"There's something I just don't understand about that deal," Raph shakes his head. "I'm sure your powers would be very valuable to them. But...what would you get out of the deal?"

"A new life," Stockman says simply.

"Life...?" Raph murmurs in confusion.

"I asked them for two conditions. Number one was that they help me with my revenge plot. And the second was a...'rebirth' for me."

"Rebirth...? A new beginning, eh?" Raph could understand that. If he had the chance, he'd take it if it meant seeing his family again...certainly beats being deemed a criminal.

"I didn't care if it was a 'fake' life, an 'artificial' life...I just wanted a physical receptacle for my soul, a name, an identity—an everyday life. I wanted to grow old in a society that would accept me. And, finally, I wanted to die, surrounded by a loving family...like you two," Stockman looks at Raph and Donnie. "That's the kind of 'life' I asked them for."

"A completely man-made life..." Raph murmurs.

"That's right. I knew I couldn't hope for anything more than that...to make it all come true, I knew it would take a lot of money and a lot of power. That's why I decided to ask a national group to help me. And their response, in the end...was betrayal. They were making their moves much more carefully than I suspected. They sent spies to this country, and researched my powers on their own. And...they even figured out what Heart of Darkness was all about."

"And you had no idea they were doing all this?" Raph asks curiously.

"None at all. I was a fool..." Stockman shakes his head.

"So, then...why did they go to all the trouble of making a deal with you? Why didn't they just steal a hunk of the Heart of Darkness meteorite from the park?" Donnie questions.

"They couldn't," Stockman says to Donnie's confusion.

"Huh?"

"After the 'manipulator' incidents, research was conducted in this country, too. A report was submitted to the government about the source of the manipulator's power."

 _By Inspector Jones and Dr. Rockwell, eh...?_

"At first, the government didn't believe the report. But then, they decided to put the park under surveillance, just in case."

"Surveillance, huh?" Donnie muses.

"It just looks like an ordinary, peaceful park, but there are armed agents there at all times." Donnie's eyes widen as he remembers the only sole person at that park.

"Don't tell me that odd leaflet pigeon is one of them...?"

"Yes, he is. He may seem odd, but he's good at camouflage. That park is like a silent battlefield, on an international scale..."

"So that's why they couldn't steal the Heart of Darkness fragment..." Raph murmurs, as he didn't even know they were there. Mr. Bishop must've ordered them there.

"And, lately, under the pretense of building a housing site...they've been working on a plan to destroy that park in order to secure the Heart of Darkness meteorite."

 _So that's it, eh...?_

"So the upshot of your grand 'deal'...was this, eh?" Raph smirks at Stockman in amusement, as this is irony.

"Yeah. It's the ending I deserve..."

"But at least there's one thing you must be happy about," Raph glances at him.

"What's that?"

"You've managed to seal me away at the bottom of the sea forever," Raph crosses his arms and Stockman stays silent. This is not how he wanted his revenge at all. He just wanted them to suffer, but...nothing like this...

"Well...Shall we get started?" Donnie looks at them.

"Started with what?" Stockman stares at him in confusion.

"Bringing my brother back to life, of course!" Donnie looks determined.

"What?! What good will that do now?!" Stockman demands, as that Kraang is still there.

"But we promised!" Mikey looks up at him. "We promised Miss April and Miss Tori we'd save them!"

"And we can't do that without you, Raph," Donnie looks at his brother, whose eyes widen. "I've been guided by fate and my friends tonight to this place. I won't give up now."

"Alright, fine," Raph grins in amusement. "Let's see where it leads us." Stockman stays silent, a little inspired by Donnie all of a sudden.

"Here we go, then. Back to four minutes before your death!" Donnie declares, Mikey pressing rewind time.

 _4:23 AM Technodrome Control Room. 4 minutes before death._

The air is tense as Raph stares at the Kraang bot. "So...where are we headed?"

"We are not headed that which is called anywhere, one known as Raphael."

"What?!" Raph asks in shock since they are still moving.

"There was only enough that which is known as fuel onboard to launch us away, one known as Raphael. We will run out of that which is known as fuel, and that will be our destination, one known as Raphael."

"Would ya stop talking like that?" Raph grits his teeth in annoyance. "What are you talking about, brain scum? That would mean that you're trapped here, too!"

The bot steps to the side...revealing that a small robot called a Mouser is emitting a hologram of the bot. Raph opens his mouth in surprise. "I am what you call a hologram, one known as Raphael." His hand phases through the control panel as an example. "I escaped long ago."

"What?!" Is all Raph can say. "Your use of technology...is just plain weird!"

"We get that a lot, one known as Raphael." The fake bot puts his hands behind his back.

"Why would you to all the trouble to do this?" Raph narrows his eyes, turning around to Stockman's body. "That ain't nothing but a shell there. It's hardly a threat anymore."

"The one known as the Shredder likes to provide against any possibility, no matter how small, one known as Raphael."

"Possibility...?" Raph murmurs, wondering what that meant for Donnie. "What are you talking about?"

"There is no need for you to know, one known as Raphael." The hologram presses a button and a shotgun appears from above him, pointing straight for Raph. His eyes widen as he's cornered: There's no way out of here. "Now it is time to say that which is known as goodbye, Raphael. In the end, that which is known as your fate remains the same."

Raph growls at him before he faces facts: he can't escape death. "Tori...forgive me..." He's shot multiple times before he falls to the ground, dead.

"It isn't over yet," Donnie declares.

"It isn't?" Mikey asks in confusion.

"Remember what that 'big, mean bot' said? 'Any possibility, no matter how small.' "

"Possibility..." Raph seems to understand it now.

"In other words, there must be a chance here somewhere. The possibility of turning this situation around!"

Stockman rubs his chin as he thinks of something.

As they're on the floor where Raph was, they see something. "Huh?" Raph rubs his eyes to make sure he's not seeing things.

"What is it, Raph?" Mikey asks.

"Look at Stockman's 'shell'..."

The only thing there is a core. "There's no aura emanating from his body..."

"Of course there isn't. The Heart of Darkness fragment is gone," Stockman finally speaks up for the first time in a while.

 _Could this change in his 'shell'...give us some kind of lead...?_

They enter Stockman's corpse and Stockman looks down. "I figured it out...I know what this 'possibility, no matter how small' is that they are afraid of!"

"What is it?!" Donnie asks quickly.

"My 'time' was perpetually stopped, thanks to the power of Heart of Darkness," Stockman starts off.

 _His body cycled between the moments that separated his 'life' and death'..._

"Right. But not anymore," Raph speaks up, crossing his arms. "The Heart of Darkness fragment has been taken away."

"Exactly," Stockman grins at him. "So what does that mean?"

"I get it!" Donnie suddenly exclaims. "Your body won't come back to life anymore!"

"The moment the Heart of Darkness fragment was removed, my 'shell' became a regular corpse."

"So...let's see...that means..." Donnie realizes what he means. _We can go back? Back to four minutes before your death...?_

"But...wait a minute!" Mikey calls out. "Exactly 'when' is that death?!"

"That's simple," Raph smirks at him before it goes away. "We'll find out...when we get there! Let's move!"

Donnie rewinds time, but how much time, he can't fathom to know. He fell back through the cracks of time for what seemed like forever. And then he sees it.

The final death, at the end of this long night...

Who exactly is he? He's already seen and heard all the clues...all he has to do now is remember.

The final journey to the truth...starts now.


	18. Chapter 18

_5:23 AM_

When was Stockman's death...? It was ten years ago, when the Heart of Darkness meteorite fell.

They've traveled back through time, and now they're here at the scene of that death. The start of it all is about to replay itself...

 _5:26 PM Heart of Darkness Park. 4 minutes before death._

Near Traag, the rock, a young April is baking a sweet potato using a small fire she made out of leaves. She's listening to music on her yellow headphones. She wears a yellow peabody coat with red buttons, black tights, and yellow little boots. Her hair is in a ponytail as she sifts through the fire using a stick. After a few seconds, she pulls out the sweet potato on a stick. "It's ready!" She cheers, spinning around happily.

"Hold it!"

"In the name of police, stop!"

Out of nowhere, Stockman runs up to the fountain where April is. Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Amy are chasing after him until Raph pulls out his gun, firing a bullet into the air. Stockman freezes in place and Raph points the gun at him.

"Give it up. Do you really think you can outrun us?"

Stockman lunges forward and grabs April. She shrieks as Leo and Amy run forward, but Stockman pulls out a gun, pointing it at Raph. The two slide to a stop.

"Now, just calm down! And drop that weapon!" Raph yells as he's not looking at April.

"S-Stay back! If you come any closer...I'll shoot her!"

"Okay, okay," Amy holds up her hands slowly. "There's no need to hurt her."

"Just put her down. Raph will drop his gun," Leo gives Raph a look. "And we can work this out."

Stockman doesn't listen as his hand wavers, still pointing it at Raph. "Raph, put it down!" Donnie urges, but Raph just grips his hold on the gun. Suddenly Metalhead, the robot turtle, comes in and beeps. He's holding something in his hands. Donnie sees it.

"Huh...? Oh, a robot...Shoo! You might get hurt," Donnie gestures for him to get away. Suddenly, there's a flash of blue light, which gets their attention.

"What the...?" Leo murmurs as he looks up.

"What is...?" Amy covers her eyes with her arm as it was starting to blind her. The meteorite flies through the sky, spinning around as some fragments break from the meteorite. The rock crashes into the ground near the fountain, all of them looking away from the light. One lone fragment goes right for Stockman and breaks an egg-shaped artifact before finally piercing Stockman in the back. In the process, April flies out of his arms, dropping the sweet potato. The little girl lies in front of the detectives as their mouths are open in shock. Stockman dies right in front of them as Raph bends down in front of the little girl. He held her in his arms.

"Are you okay?"

She hears his voice and wakes up as the others surround her. He puts her down and she looks up at them.

"You're alright now. Are you hurt?" Leo looks over her.

"Y-You...saved me?" She sniffles, trying not to cry.

"We were just doing our jobs," Donnie smiles softly at her.

"The gods...they're the ones who saved ya," Raph ruffles her hair.

"What's your job?" She asks curiously, wiping away her unshed tears.

"Us? We're police detectives," Amy bends down to her, showing the girl her badge with a smile. And then the video ends.

"So that's the Heart of Darkness meteorite, eh?" Raph stares at what's happened.

"It's...beautiful, looking at it from this angle..." Stockman murmurs, as he hasn't remembered the exact details for a long time...

"It changed all of our fates completely," Raph says knowingly.

"We can't stop Heart of Darkness from falling from the sky," Donnie replies as he thinks. "But we might be able to protect you from that fragment and save your life."

Stockman looks surprised that they're gonna even save him. Raph says nothing for a minute.

"I don't know..."

"What's the matter, Raph?" Donnie asks in concern.

"To be perfectly honest," Raph scowls deeply, "I'm..." He mumbles something inaudible.

"What?" Donnie looks at him.

"I'm...scared. If that meteorite fragment doesn't get 'im...I'm pretty sure I would've shot 'im..." Raph glances at Stockman, who looks away. "We might not be able to change your fate of dying."

"I can accept that," Stockman says suddenly, shocking all of them. "What I did was inexcusable. No matter how the future might change, that fact will never go away. If my fate is to die here...then I accept that." He smiles sadly.

 _This will be our last battle against fate...Beyond that will be a new future!_

"Okay! Let's get started!" Mikey barks excitedly and they go forward in time to stop the final death. Donnie starts behind April since Stockman died on the ground. April bakes the sweet potato behind him. There's nothing he can possess right now as April holds up her baked treat.

"It's ready!" She spins around and Raph shouts to a running Stockman.

"Hold it!"

"In the name of police, stop!"

He fires the warning shot in the air and Stockman comes to a stop. He points his gun at Stockman, who grabs April and points the gun at the group of detectives. Metalhead suddenly comes in as Leo and Amy try to reason with Stockman. Flame Donnie moves to the sweet potato and then to the headphones. He turns them up and it's so loud that April drops the sweet potato into the pile of leaves.

"What are you doing?!" Mikey barks at him angrily. "You're going to hurt poor Miss April's ears!"

"I'm sorry," Flame Donnie looks sheepish, "I wasn't thinking."

"You really startled her," Future Raph shakes his head. "You even made her drop her sweet potato."

 _I know how much this girl loves her food, too..._ "Anyway...at least her fate has changed, albeit ever so slightly!"

 _Fate Changed!_

"S-Stay back!" Stockman stammers and Amy holds up her hands as an attempt to make him stop. Control has gone to Mikey as he goes to a sprinkler nozzle since he's in Flame Donnie's way.

Flame Donnie moves to the sweet potato and then to the other unbaked potato in a basket sitting on the fountain. He makes it rock and the potato falls into the water below. He moves to the right nozzle and waits until the potato moves to the nozzle. He makes it spray and moves to the potato.

 _Time till Death: 3_

The potato lands in the main fountain and Flame Donnie moves to the main nozzle. Mikey notices something from the potato.

"Oh! Look at that sweet potato!" He looks up at Traag. "That big, scary sweet potato!"

"That's not a sweet potato, Mikey," Flame Donnie tells him. "That's Traag."

"O-Oh, right! Of course!" Mikey stammers nervously, remembering how he killed someone with that rock. "But look at them, the potato and Traag. Right now, they both have the same shape!"

"So you're saying you could swap them, huh?" Flame Donnie murmurs, nodding. "Good idea, Mikey!"

"Okay, here I go! And I'm going to need your help!" Mikey looks at him while panting.

 _My help...?_

Mikey goes to the Ghost World and moves to the potato. Flame Donnie looks up and understands what he means, turning on the nozzle. The water sprays higher so that the potato is close enough for Mikey to switch them.

 _Time till Death: 2_

Mikey swaps the sweet potato with Tragg, and then he swaps it with the egg glass lantern right next to it. Traag slightly breaks the lamp post, but other than that, it's still standing.

"Look, the lamp post is bending!" Future Raph points at it.

"But it hasn't broken yet!" Mikey points out.

"It's a wonder it hasn't snapped," Future Raph murmurs, "It just might hold out for a little while longer!"

 _If I recall...the Heart of Darkness fragment smashed through the glass lantern on its way down._

"But if Traag sits firmly in its way..."

Flame Donnie looks down at the trajectory between Traag and Stockman. "Then fate should change!"

They wait for the meteorite to strike.

 _Time till Death: 1_

Flame Donnie looks at the unconscious April, hoping that she won't be traumatized by all this. He couldn't believe she confessed her feelings to him...he was on top of the world when he heard those three little words. He couldn't wait to see what the new future had in store for him.

 _Time till Death: 0_

The meteorite appears, falling through the sky as it hits the grass. The lone fragment, the one that would take Stockman's life, hits Traag, changing the trajectory of the fragment.

"There! How's that?!" Donnie looks at the fragment in anticipation.

"Look! The fragment's course...it changed a little!" Mikey's mouth opens in awe.

"Now Stockman's fate should really change!" Future Raph says in relief, but Stockman notices something wrong.

"...Wait a minute. Take another look at the fragment's trajectory. Now that it's changed, what's in its path?"

"In its path...?" Flame Donnie looks closer and his eyes widen in horror. _N-Nooo...!_

Instead of hitting Stockman in the back, the fragment flies over and hits Raph in the leg. Leo, Amy, and Donnie all gasp in shock as Stockman looks surprised. Raph holds his leg in pain with a groan, Donnie and Leo checking over him.

"Raph!" Flame Donnie shouts in horror. _The Heart of Darkness fragment shot through his leg!_

"What?!" Future Raph exclaims in disbelief. And the cruel twists of fate aren't over yet...

"Ngh...!" Raph is still holding the gun as Stockman drops his.

"Raph, don't!" Amy shouts at him.

"Come on, put it down..." Future Raph urges his past self.

"Huh?" Flame Donnie murmurs in confusion.

"Raph, put the gun down...now!" Future Raph mutters as he doesn't want his anger to boil over enough for him to kill. Taking someone's life was too far for him. "If you don't...you're going to shoot him!"

 _I don't know if it's his detective training or what...but even though he's shaking from the pain, the gun doesn't waver._

" _Put the gun down!_ " Future Raph repeats sharply.

"Raph, put it away!" Leo shouts at him. "You're injured, we have to let the police handle this."

"Come on, we'll have Amy call for back-up," Donnie explains, but the gun is still in his hand.

Raph shoots anyway and he looks up as the bullet is in Amy's direction since she's standing in front of Stockman. "No!" He screams at what he's done.

"I knew it. This is my true fate..." Future Raph murmurs dejectedly. "In the end...I ended up not stealing his life, but my sister's with my own hands..."

There's a flash of light as Mikey has gone to the Ghost World, possessing the bullet that's right in front of Amy's face. "I won't let that happen!"

"Mikey!" Flame Donnie shouts in surprise. _The bullet is stopped in midair!_

"I'm here, inside the bullet!" Mikey smiles at everyone else. "Now let's swap it with something!"

"Wh-What?! With what...?!" Future Raph asks with incredibility.

"Raph...the meteorite fragment is what made you pull the trigger," Donnie states seriously. "We won't let you become a murderer!"

Future Raph's eyes widen at the dedication.

 _We have to prove that murder isn't in my brother's 'true fate'...And to do that, we have to stop this bullet! There must be something with the same shape as the bullet around here...!_

The only thing Mikey can swap it with is the sweet potato, which hits Amy in the face and causes her to be knocked unconscious on the ground. Stockman opens his mouth in shock as he places April down, the others' eyes widening. Stockman backs away, hitting the lamp post.

"Amy!" Donnie exclaims as Leo stares at her in horror.

"NO!" He shouts in anguish as he sees a burn on her cheek.

"Oh, no..." Flame Donnie murmurs in disbelief at what's happened. _We stopped the bullet...but we still couldn't save everyone!_

"That's not true," Stockman states, Flame Donnie staring at him in confusion. "My fate of getting pierced through the back might not have changed...but we're still alive."

"What?!" Future Raph asks in shock as both Stockman and Amy are still breathing.

"We're not dead. We're just unconscious!" Stockman reveals in relief.

"Okay, so your fate of death has changed...but, still!" Flame Donnie looks at his sister. _This fate is just too painful to watch-in every sense..._

"I don't think so," Stockman replies sternly, "As long as I'm still alive, that's good enough for me."

But they're overlooking one thing. The wheel of fate is still slowly turning...

Traag starts to slowly fall towards Amy, threatening to crush her. Raph whips his head up as he hears it.

"Look out!" He screams at Amy. "Sis, wake up! You gotta get out of there!" He tries to get up, but his injured leg won't let him. He falls on top of Leo and Donnie so unfortunately, no one can save Amy. "Dammit! My leg won't work!"

"It's all over!" Mikey shouts in lament, "We're all out of time! Miss Amy!"

Just when Traag is almost there, Flame Donnie goes to the Ghost World. "It's not over yet!"

"But there isn't anything else to swap with!" Mikey tells him.

"Why don't we just let it play out, and then try to find another way next time?" Stockman suggests, as they can go back and do what they just did. "Even if she dies, all you have to do is possess her corpse...and then you can redo her last four minutes as many times as it takes."

"No, I won't do that!" Flame Donnie exclaims in defense.

"Why not?" Stockman looks at him, baffled.

"Sure, the fact of her death would be erased," Flame Donnie starts off, "But her memory of it would remain, like a scar on her psyche."

Stockman's eyes widen in realization.

"I won't let that happen, not if I can help it! After all...she's my little sister..."

"But what can we do now?" Mikey asks in worry. "Even if we work together...?!"

There's a pause as Stockman looks around at the environment. "I think there might be something than can be done," he says confidently.

"What is it?!" Mikey asks eagerly. "What can Donnie and I do?"

"Don't forget. I'm here, too," Stockman reminds them and their eyes widen at the fact that he's gonna help them. "With three kinds of powers among us, we ought to be able to fight this battle. This battle against the fate of death!"

"S-Stockman!" Flame Donnie stammers in surprise and Stockman looks at the main fountain nozzle.

"Donnie, your power is manipulating objects," He looks at the left nozzle. "Use your power to manipulate this!"

"Huh?" Flame Donnie asks in confusion, "I don't get it..."

"Just trust me. Let's go!" Stockman declares and Flame Donnie says nothing, deciding to trust him.

 _Alright. I'll try to move there!_

Flame Donnie moves from a lantern to the nozzle. "Now, gather your strength and make it spray as if your life depended on it!" Stockman orders like a general.

 _Uh, I'm dead, though..._

"In that case...make it spray as if your death depended on it! Give it your all!" Stockman encourages, "And remember, you'll only have a split-second." They return to the real world. "Okay...Now, DO IT!"

Flame Donnie presses trick. "Got it!" The lantern gets sprayed to the right, flying above Traag.

"Now it's your turn, Mikey!" Stockman looks down at the dog.

"What? Uh, me? But what can I do?!" Mikey asks in surprise.

"I think you know the answer to that."

"Okay, got it!" Flame Donnie notices that Traag and the lantern have the same shape.

"You can swap them!" He murmurs in realization. _That hunk of concrete will go back to its original position!_

"But...! Even if I swap them, it'll still be right above Miss Amy!" Mikey says nervously, as there's still a possibility that she would get hurt.

"Don't worry," Stockman pats him gently.

"...Okay, I'll do it! I'll swap them!" Mikey nods and swaps them. The lantern breaks near Amy as Traag is back where it was. Unfortunately, it still tilts towards Amy. "It's no use! We can't stop that horrible Traag!"

"What can we do now?!" Raph exclaims as it seems like it's hopeless. "I don't see how gaining a second or two helped!"

"Oh, it helped alright," Stockman looks at Raph. "Those few seconds were exactly what I wanted." He goes to the Ghost World. "Last up, it's my turn."

"Your turn...?" Flame Donnie murmurs, wondering what he's gonna do. A flame appears where Stockman's body is.

"You know what my power is, right?" He asks knowingly. "I can manipulate living creatures."

"Wait a minute!" Flame Donnie shouts in shock, "You mean...?"

"That's right," Stockman nods at them, "I'm going to save that woman. Save her by manipulating my own body!"

Stockman whips his head up as he scrambles to the unconscious Amy, grabs her, and throws her into Leo's arms. Their mouths open in shock as Stockman gets crushed by Traag. Amy wakes up and her eyes widen as she turns to Stockman. Leo hugs her in relief as he keeps staring at the suspect.

"My god..." Raph murmurs at what just happened. Donnie grabs April, handing her to Raph. She starts to wake up and lifts her head to see the others staring down at her.

"Ah, you're awake," Amy smiles gently, Raph helping her to her feet. His leg is still injured, so he can't get up. April looks at him in concern.

"Hey, mister. Is your knee okay?"

Raph looks up with a small smile, ruffling her hair. He couldn't tell her what just happened. She wouldn't understand. "Huh? Oh, it'll be fine. It's just a scrape."

"He's lucky it wasn't a fatal hit," Donnie shakes his head.

"But the main thing is that you're not hurt," Leo grins a little at her.

"Y-You...all saved me?" April sniffles a little, as she has no idea what happened.

"We were just doing our jobs," Donnie smiles down at her.

"The gods...they're the ones who saved ya," Raph murmurs, clutching his leg.

"What's your jobs?" April wipes her unshed tears.

"Us? We're police detectives," Amy smiles as she shows April her badge. April touches it in awe. The four glance at Stockman and since April is focused on them, she doesn't see the man. Raph blocks her view as he turns to the girl.

"Do ya think you could go call the police for us?" Leo asks gently.

"You'll do it quicker than I could," Raph chuckles a bit weakly as Donnie puts his arm over his shoulder.

"B-But..." April stammers as she didn't want to leave Raph injured.

"Hey, it's okay. He'll be fine. He just needs to get to a hospital," Donnie tells her as Raph pulls out a golden toy badge. April eyes it in wonder.

"What's that?" She asks curiously.

"This is a detective's badge. We give 'em to children who've been very brave," Raph hands it to Amy.

"A detective's badge...?" She murmurs that she's been given one. Amy leans forward and puts it on her, Leo placing a hand on her shoulder. April looks down at it and cheers, jumping in the air. "Thanks!"

They all smile at her.

"Okay, you know what to do, little detective!" Leo tells her and she nods at the job she's been given, running off. The detectives slowly turn over to Stockman, Raph limping a little.

"Are ya alive...?" He murmurs as they look over him.

"Yeah...sadly..." They hear quietly and Amy's eyes widen.

"Hang on. Help is coming," Amy mutters to him in sympathy.

"What made you rescue my wife?" Leo asks, placing a hand on Amy's back. Stockman looks away.

"...To be perfectly honest, I don't really know. My body was already moving all by itself. It was as if somebody was controlling me."

"I see..." Donnie murmurs in thought and Flame Donnie grins at the irony.

"But, you know...I'm glad it happened," He smiles softly at Amy, who smiles back.

"Thank you..." She whispers and when April comes back, she sees something on the ground. Her mouth opens in slight horror before she picks up a little Pomeranian puppy. It's not moving as she holds it gently, walking over to the group.

"Hey, misters, lady."

They turn to her, Raph turning around. "I found this puppy. It was over there."

"Come to think of it...I just saw it a few minutes ago. It was what that robot was holding. It's probably a stray," Donnie muses as April turns around to see the lone robot turtle walking around.

"It's kind of limp. Is it okay...?" April looks down at the puppy in worry, holding it out to the four so they could see.

"I don't know. I think it's unconscious," Amy glances at her brothers and husband. "That's funny. It doesn't look like it's injured or anything..."

"Poor little puppy..." April says sadly.

"How about if we take them to our house and look after it?" Raph suggests as he looks at the others. They nod in unison, turning to the puppy and robot turtle. It runs up to them eagerly. "Would you like to come home with us, little man?" Raph grins at the puppy.

"And I'd love to do my own spin on this creation. Who leaves behind a perfectly good robot?" Donnie pats Metalhead.

April strokes the little puppy and everything stops there.

"Well...it looks like their fate just changed in a big way," Stockman eyes them.

"Whose fate?" Flame Donnie asks as there's multiple people.

"The puppy's and robot's, of course," Stockman smirks a little. "Mikey's, Metalhead's...and you, Donnie."

"What?! That was me?!" Mikey asks in shock. He doesn't remember this at all.

"Me...?" Donnie murmurs as the name Donnie echoes in his head. That's his real name...

"These long, lonely ten years...you were my one and only friend." Stockman turns to him slowly. "How about it? Do you remember now...old friend?"

Donnie's eyes widen as his image changes back to his turtle self. "I think...I think I finally remember."

Years ago, he was a rookie detective in this park. He had a gift of smarts, and he wasn't alone in the world. He was mutated with two turtles, one of them who would eventually meet his sister-in-law. And then he met Stockman as part of a project. Since Donnie was also a detective, they never suspected him. But they did suspect his friend.

 _"Hold it!" Raph fired the warning shot as Stockman stopped in his tracks. As he pointed the gun, Stockman grabbed April as a hostage, who went unconscious. He pointed a gun of his own and Metalhead walked up to them, beeping. Donnie remembered how much this robot was asking...for someone to look at him._

 _"Huh...? Oh, a robot...shoo! You might get hurt," Donnie waved him away._

 _Raph held April in his arms as Stockman died behind them. She was helped to her feet as Metalhead walked to Stockman. He wanted someone to reach out a hand to him..._

 _Donnie was standing near the body as he didn't notice the robot. The radiation from the meteorite hit both Donnie and the robot._

"I had just only died at the time. I had lost everything—my life, my memory...My body wouldn't move anymore, but I still managed to reach out a 'hand' to him."

 _Stockman possessed Metalhead._ "The next thing I knew, my soul had transferred to the robot turtle. With no recollection of who I was...I lived as a robot turtle with you for a while."

 _Metalhead then walked up to Donnie, who smiled at him._

After a while, Stockman regained his memory and Metalhead went back to being...well, Metalhead. And then Stockman got his body back.

 _Stockman sat up from his 'coffin'._ "I took my body back from the morgue. There was somebody I just had to go see...just one more time..." _Stockman got to his feet_. "I took control of my body, and hurried to her house." _Stockman walked out the door._ "But I was just a little too late. I had just missed her as she left this world...She left a note that said, I'm coming to you, Baxter."

 _Donnie escorted Metalhead to the junkyard where he and Stockman would find parts. Metalhead looked up at the sky._

The turtle, his new owner, named him Metalhead. It was the name of something that this person would've named him, finding it funny...Stockman lost this important person, along with his life...

His mother.

He told Donnie about it once, but the turtle couldn't begin to understand what it was like. After all, Donnie didn't even have a mother...

Those years were very happy for Donnie and Metalhead. His brothers had gotten married, resulting in two sisters-in-law and one niece. They continued to excel in their detective skills, and Donnie met April, his best friend. Metalhead continued to grow as a robot and worked for the detectives who took him in. But they weren't happy for Stockman...and there was nothing they could do for him. And, eventually, Donnie heard the news that everyone except Raph...was gone...

 _Stockman walked as he held the toolbox._

"For ten years, I wandered through the darkness, with no particular place to go. As time passed, my powers gradually changed. At first, I could only manipulate small creatures and objects. But then, after a while, I could manipulate people. That's when the darkness inside me deepened, and I started to get a little twisted. I wanted 'light'...distorted, artificial 'light'..."

 _Stockman eventually possessed Donnie, using him to talk with April at the junkyard. Leo, Amy, Mona, and Splinter were already gone. He turned to her and explained the truth, April shaking her head in disbelief._

"When I got my revenge on April...I would see that light. Or, at least, that's what I tried to believe."

 _Stockman, as April, took out the gun. She pointed it at Donnie, firing the missed shot. She pointed it at him again and shot Donnie._

"I left Donnie buried in that junkyard, and 'walked' away."

 _After April was in custody, the bag pushed away, knocking Donnie off the lower level. Metalhead emerged from the large bag, beeping._

"Metalhead..." Raph murmurs in realization.

"I was possessing him then. It wouldn't look very much like a murder if the corpse got up and walked away, after all."

"So you borrowed the body of one of your old friends," Raph murmurs, and Metalhead walked away.

"Metalhead was inside that bag I was carrying tonight," Stockman explains. "I had no intention of leaving him, and Donnie, behind in this country when I left. Which is why I came back, possessed him, and brought his body to the Technodrome. But then...when I went to possess his body...I realized something horrible."

"What was that?" Raph raises an eyebrow.

"Metalhead, there inside the bag...was dead."

"What?!" Raph asks in shock.

 _April took out her gun as Stockman possessed her, pointing it at Donnie._ "I wasn't able to control her completely." _April shot at the toolbox._ "The first body didn't hit anything. Or so I thought."

"But it did hit something, didn't it...?" Raph narrows his eyes, eyeing the toolbox. "It hit Metalhead, inside that bag. And then you killed Donnie."

 _Remnants of Stockman's power were in the bullet from Metalhead, the bullet having hit him in the neck and letting out all the oil, shutting him down. And since Donnie was technically holding the bag, the radiation from the bullet allowed him to have his powers._

Yes, that's when he lost his life. Right there in the presence of Heart of Darkness radiation. And that's when he got his powers of the dead—his 'ghost tricks.'

"I think I understand it now. Why I was the only one who couldn't get his memory back..." Donnie murmurs in thought. "It was because I didn't think of the possibility of someone possessing me. I had no idea that it was possible, after all. And anyone else you possessed didn't get their memory back of being possessed, either. Now that I think about it, do you remember what you said? That you knew all along about me saving April tonight? If you knew, why didn't you try to stop me?"

"It's simple. Because I couldn't, even if I wanted to," Stockman admits.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Remember the thing about individual differences in the powers we get?" Stockman questions, Donnie nodding. "I can control all kinds of things—from the living to the dead...But, even so...there are some things that you can do that I can't."

Donnie's eyes widen. "You mean...?!"

"I can't even rewind time, let alone change the fate of a death," Stockman rubs his chin. "If I could do those things...I would've saved your life."

Donnie stays silent at that. "Not only that...but I never would've just let my mother stay dead like that."

"B-But you're here ten years in the past now...!" Donnie stammers in confusion.

"That's thanks to your powers," Stockman shrugs at him. "I just tagged along with you."

They stare at the new present that they've just changed. "In any case...now the starting point of this entire tragedy has changed dramatically, altering fate...all of ours...the fate of your death...Mikey, Metalhead, Donnie, Amy, Leo...and I can just bet you the fate of your mother has changed, too."

"Yes...I believe you're right," Stockman nods slowly.

 _So...this was the last fate to be averted, eh?_

 _Final Fate Averted!_

"So, Baxter..." Raph starts off, "It looks like your plan for revenge ended in failure."

Stockman looks down before he lifts his head. "Yes...and I'm glad, too."

Raph looks at him in confusion.

 _"...I think I kind of understand now...what you've been feeling these ten years."_

"She understood...She shed tears for me..." Stockman whispers as he remembers what April said on the Technodrome. "That's when my revenge was over. She saved me from the darkness."

"Well, I guess it's time we got back," Donnie suggests, smiling happily, "A new 'ten years later' was just born."

"Right...we should get back to our 'new present'..." Raph murmurs slowly.

"I can't wait to see Miss April, Tori, and all the others again!" Mikey beams happily.

So these past ten years will now all vanish...

"Well, not completely..." Stockman speaks up. "The memories of all of us here will remain. Including the memory of what I did, my crime..."

"That's the way this 'game of the dead' works, eh...?" Raph asks with a smug grin.

"And no matter what the reason...there's no denying the fact that I took April hostage and tried to put a gun at her. I have no intention of running away from that, either—the most inexcusable crime in my 'new life.' Hey, Donnie."

"Yes?" Donnie turns to him.

"When we go back, our fates will no longer be interconnected. It will be like we never met...So, before that happens, I just wanted to say one thing. Tonight, I stole away your life with my own hands. I'm...truly sorry."

"...That's already a thing of the lost past," Donnie smiles gently. "Our fates have changed now...right, Baxter?"

Baxter nods, smiling a little. "Thank you, Donnie. I'm so very glad I met you."

"Me too, Baxter."

"Donnie?" Mikey speaks up. "Are we...ever going to see each other again...? I couldn't stand it if we weren't!"

"Don't worry, Mikey," Donnie pats him gently on the head. "I know we'll see each other again someday. After all...you are going home with us," Donnie grins at Raph, who nods. "Our paths will cross soon enough."

"Donnie...I'll...I'll never forget you!" Mikey promises, and Donnie nods at him.

 _I'll never forget you, either, valiant little doggie..._

"Well," Raph smiles slightly, picking up Mikey. "Looks like you both come to live with me now. So let's be getting home, guys."

"Home, huh?" Donnie murmurs to himself. "That sounds good, Raphael."

They all witnessed the birth of a new beginning. And now...they're each going back to their own new 'present.'

They said goodbye to the parts of their stories that would be lost...believing that someday their paths would all cross again.

As Donnie is going back to his new present, two voices call out to him. "Wait! Before you go back to a new 'present' we wanted to thank you."

Lia and Ryan appear out of nowhere. "Before we cease to exist..."

"Oh! It's you two!" Donnie exclaims in recognition.

"Yes, it is us, Lia and Ryan, in case you have forgotten again..." Ryan speaks up.

"Thanks to you, everything has turned out as we had hoped," Lia replies.

"We are really grateful to you, Donnie. Thank you," Ryan says sincerely.

"...But don't forget. I was only on a journey to find my own lost memory," Donnie reminds them.

"Yes, yes. We know that," Lia says, "We know all about you."

"Can I ask you a question, Ryan, Lia?" Donnie wonders, "I want to know...who exactly are you?"

They say nothing for a bit. "Fair enough. We will tell you."

"Let us tell you about another version of tonight's events," Lia starts off.

"You changed the fates of many people tonight. The first of which was hers..."

 _April watched as Snake was killed by a wrecking ball. It rolled away, falling onto the lower level. She fell to her knees, relieved._

"If you had not been there for her tonight...her fate would have been to die in that lonely spot on the outskirts of town. If that had occurred, what do you suppose would have happened?"

"Let us tell you a story...the story of two people..."

"After they stole her life tonight...they broke into her apartment."

 _Mikey heard someone holding the doorknob, twisting it. He ran up to the door as One Step Ahead Kraang burst through the door, holding a gun. Stockman came in with him, as Tori was listening to music and paid no attention. Leo and Amy, however, were there, standing up in surprise. One Step Ahead pointed the gun at the dog and shot him. The two adults ran up to the shooter to deal with him, only to be shot as well._

"They stole the wooden box from the ceiling's hiding place and left. And in the process..."

 _Mikey, Amy, Leo, and Tori laid down on the floor, having bled to death from gunshot wounds._

"Four dead bodies were left behind."

"However...their spirits lived on. The two desperately reached their hands towards the little girl...and that's when a miracle occurred."

 _Suddenly, they were in the Ghost World, the flames from Leo and Amy making themselves known._

"What?! Look at that! The powers of the dead...! But how...?" Donnie murmurs in shock.

"They didn't really understand it themselves. Not yet, anyway."

"But, with all you know now, I bet YOU understand it, do you not?"

"...Hey, wait a minute!" Donnie murmurs as when Leo and Amy were shot, they passed by Stockman, eventually gaining ghost tricks.

"That's right. They died inside the 'aura' of that strange energy."

"But, unfortunately, with their meager powers...they were unable to save the little girl."

"There just wasn't anything they could do with only the power to manipulate phone lines and the power to manipulate animals."

 _They needed the power to manipulate objects in order to save the little lady..._

"They chased after the men...but there still wasn't anything they could do."

"In the end, they were left behind with Stockman in the deep, deep sea and with Shredder as the ruler of this world. And then...they went back. They went back to the world of ten years before—to the moment of Stockman's death."

"What?!" Donnie asks in shock.

"They decided to wait it out. They decided to wait until that night came again."

"And that's the other version of the story of this night," Lia finishes the story. "A story that has taken these ten years to be retold."

"...So that was you two, huh?"

The lamp and stop sign take on their appearances...as Leo and Amy. They look significantly older as Amy has some grey hairs.

"That's right. We're...your brother and sister."

"Ten years is very long," Amy murmurs to herself.

"You couldn't change the fates of those people on your own..." Donnie murmurs in understanding. They didn't have the powers required to do so. "So you two decided to wait those ten years out..."

"Exactly. And then, at last...that fateful night rolled around again."

 _The moonlight illuminated on Amy and Leo._

"By this time, we had grown old, and our powers were weak. So we decided we needed to find somebody to help us this time around."

 _The stop sign and desk lamp came to life, turning to Donnie's corpse._

"Somebody who possessed different powers than us..."

"But, wait a second!" Donnie calls out. "You were able to manipulate that desk lamp and stop sign!"

"Over the course of the long years, our powers changed," Amy explains, "My ability to control animals weakened..."

"And so did my ability to manipulate phone lines," Leo smiles sheepishly. "But we became able to manipulate small objects."

"B-But, in that case," Donnie stammers, "Why didn't you cooperate with yourselves...?!"

"Because we couldn't," Amy states, making him confused.

"Huh?"

"From watching Stockman, we found out there were individual differences in our powers. We couldn't do any of the things he could do. Like manipulate people and objects, for example."

"What...?!"

"It may be not seem like much, but it's a very important power. Especially when changing one's fate."

"But there's something I don't understand," Donnie points out. "You two knew from the very beginning that I had the power to move through phone lines. How did you know so much about me?"

"Why wouldn't we? After all, we're your family," Leo smirks in amusement.

"Not only that, we had met before, on that night the first time around!" Amy smiles a little.

"We what?! We met before...?" Donnie tries to remember, but he doesn't. He had only seen them in video footage from the past, but never met them. They were too far along in death to be saved.

"From listening to the conversation of the two intruders to the apartment...we learned that April had lost her life at that junkyard on the edge of town."

"We followed the Ghost World paths to the junkyard, and came upon an incredible scene."

 _As April's body lay in the second floor instead of Donnie, the desk lamp was swiveling back and forth, but not by Leo._

"Imagine, if you will, there in the darkness, a twisting and swiveling desk lamp...it surprised us, we can tell you."

"Th-That was me...?" Donnie murmurs in surprise. _So I was shot on that night the first time around as well..._

"You had lost your memory that time, too," Amy reminds him. "You had just died, and you felt confused."

"You declined to cooperate with us," Leo says simply.

"I did what?!" Donnie screeches in shock that he wouldn't help them.

" 'I just want to find my own lost memory. I'm sorry, but I can't help you.' That's what you said," Amy recalls in thought. "And then you disappeared...away over the telephone line."

"I'm really sorry I didn't help you," Donnie murmurs in disbelief.

"That's why we decided that, this time...we would use that desire of yours to our mutual advantage," Leo smiles a little.

"Mutual advantage...?" Donnie asks.

"The only thing you were interested in was finding your own lost memory," Amy holds up a finger. "If we could guide you along the right path to doing that, we would both benefit."

"And, namely, the 'right path' would be...the path to Stockman," Leo comments and Donnie furrows his eyebrows.

"What...?"

"We gave you the information you needed to know to set you in the right direction. And then we gave you a time limit," Amy grins in amusement at their plan.

"A time limit...?"

"That's right. As you know, we said you only had until tomorrow morning. If we hadn't done that, you wouldn't have found out the truth tonight...and Stockman would have been sealed away at the bottom of the sea forever."

"And...Shredder would've done horrible things with that fragment," Leo shakes his head. "If that had happened, it would've been all over."

"Th-Then...you mean..." Donnie stammers in shock, "That thing about ceasing to exist...?!"

"Oh, that?" Amy grins at him. "Completely made up. A little naughty of us, we know...but we just wanted you to use your time wisely."

 _Oh, boy...I hate to admit it, but I got outsmarted by my own siblings in every way..._

"Let's just call it the wisdom that comes with age," Leo winks at Donnie.

"...And now it's time to say farewell. These past ten years will cease to exist, and, with them, so will we," Amy says slowly.

"Leo...Amy..." Donnie murmurs a little sadly.

"We believed in you. We always knew you could do it," Leo smiles softly.

"And so you did!" Amy beams at her brother.

"Thank you! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!" The two say in unison. Donnie can't help but hug them.

 _Amy...Leo...so you waited and waited, these ten long years, dealing with the Shredder's rule...all for the sake of your family, eh...?_

"Of course!" Amy chirps, "Because that's what family does!"

"Now then, farewell, Donnie...our brother..." Leo smiles and they both hold each other as they slowly disappear into existence.

And so the story of a single night came to an end. Nobody but them knew what had really happened in this city tonight. He made his way back—back to a new present.

In the new present, jiggling can be heard as someone enters the room. It's dark, meaning that they can't see anything. "Huh? How come it's dark? I'll just turn on the lights here..." It's April who turns on the lights in what was Tori's old house, but it has now been restored to its glory. The place is decorated for a party with rainbow balloons and streamers.

The ceiling fan spins around, lifting up the lid to reveal a beautiful cake. The tennis ball hits the bowl and tilts a few statues. The last one hits a fan and spins around, allowing Cupid to reveal himself. April waits in anticipation as the flame is captured in an arrow and shoots past the candles, lighting them up. The arrow lands in a pile of party poppers, which go off, surprising April.

Tori comes out of her hiding spot, the cabinet from the kitchen, as she runs up to April, smiling. Mikey follows after her.

"Heh heh. Were you surprised?" She grins in amusement at April's face.

"You bet I was! You nearly scared me to death!" April tells her, Tori jumping up happily and spinning around.

"Yippee! It worked!" She cheers.

"But it's not even my birthday today," April murmurs in thought, wondering what the celebration was for.

"It was my mom's birthday the day before yesterday," Tori smiles at the memory. "I made this surprise for her, but it came out so well, I wanted to use it again!"

Raph, Leo, Amy, and Donnie appear in the room, smiling as they were in on it. Amy has a noticeable bump where her stomach should be.

"That's alright, April," Raph smirks at what April had said.

"After all, we're celebrating the 'birth' of your new position as detective, right?" Leo grins, winking.

April's eyes widen as she turns to them. "Really? Thank you, guys."

"Dad! Uncle Donnie boy, Leo, and Auntie Mia! You're home!" Tori smiles happily.

"Hi, little detective," Raph smiles at her. "Let us introduce ya. This is our friend April."

"She was just assigned to the detective division today," Amy smiles, patting April on the shoulder. April turns to Tori, remembering that her friends mentioned her.

"Hi Tori! It's nice to meet you!" She bends down to the girl, smiling.

"Nice to meet you, too, April! Congratulations on becoming a detective!" Tori giggles as Mikey runs up to the others, running around them. Amy chuckles as Leo picks him up.

"And this little guy is Mikey," Donnie smiles at the puppy.

"How's the baby doing, Amy?" April looks down at Amy's bump.

"Still alive and kicking," Amy giggles as Leo places a gentle hand to her womb. "Only two months to go and little baby girl Hamato will be here!"

Tori notices something from April. "...Huh?"

"Is something wrong?" April asks her and Tori leans in closer, seeing the badge that her family gave to April when they saved her from the park.

"You have one of those badges, too?"

"Oh, this? Yeah," April smiles at the memory.

"I have one just like it," Tori grins, "My dad just gave it to me the other day. But yours looks a lot older than mine, though."

"Ha, how are ya gonna keep wearing that toy badge, April?" Raph asks, the woman turning to him.

"What's wrong with it? To me, this is the symbol of a real detective!" She places her hands on her hips proudly.

"It's been ten years since then, hasn't it?" Amy smiles softly.

"Who would've guessed you'd actually become a detective one day?" Leo shakes his head the irony.

"When you gave me this badge, I just knew," April rubs her neck sheepishly. "I knew it was my destiny, somehow!"

"Destiny, eh?" Donnie murmurs in thought.

"And now that I'm a detective...I'll find out where that destiny will lead me!"

"Heh. That you will. That you will," Amy says in amusement. Mikey barks and April turns around to the puppy, bending down to it.

"Oh, hello! Don't tell me you're that same little puppy...?"

"That's right. The very same one," Leo smiles at Mikey.

"You know what? This is a very, very special puppy! He's ten years old, but he's still a puppy!"

"Still a puppy?" April asks in confusion.

"Yup! He never got bigger or anything! And Metalhead's still up and running!" Tori turns to Metalhead, who's waving at them as he's preparing the food. They all laugh at him.

"Wow. What a mysterious little fellow..." April murmurs.

"Donnie's the one who named him," Amy gives Donnie a smirk and he rubs his neck.

"Mikey's short for Michelangelo...one of Splinter's favorites," He mumbles, April smiling at him before she furrows her eyebrows.

"It seems to me I've heard that name somewhere before..." Mikey barks, wagging his tail happily.

"I think Mikey likes you, April!" Tori giggles, Splinter and Mona appearing with turkey and ham on their hands.

"Alright, everyone. Let's start the celebration," Mona smiles at them.

"Yes, this is a happy occasion," Splinter nods at April.

"Okay, Mom and Grandpa Splinter!" Tori beams at them, running to the table. Donnie stays behind with April as the others walk past him.

April picks up Mikey, smiling down at him.

"I bet you're just like me. Your destiny led you here somehow, too." Mikey licks her cheek and she giggles, holding him out. "And so we meet again, Mikey!"

"A-April?" Donnie stammers nervously as he wanted to tell this when he had a chance. "I...I love you. Would you...um..."

April turns to him and grins. "I love you too, Donnie. And yes...I'd love to be your girlfriend."

From just that single night, Donnie got a glimpse of what his life was like. And he learned something...their fates, their lives—they were all interconnected...somewhere, somehow, in some way. And, now, this is HIS new fate, with April. He leans in and their lips connect together in a kiss.

Then, the whole world turns red...showing Donnie with the radiation from the meteorite.

Donnie smiles at everyone eating together. He guessed he really is a turtle. It suits him just fine to sit, watch, and live...live with the strange and beautiful patterns of their lives and his as they unfold. And it looks like...he'll have plenty to do for quite a while...


	19. Final Chapter

**Angel: Now that a new present has been made, let's see how everyone's doing! And no, I won't do a Teen Titans story. I personally ship BBRae, and I don't wanna have to create an OC that falls for Beast Boy. I don't even write Teen Titans fanfiction like that. So, for personal reasons, the answer to that guest who asked me is no.**

As everyone was celebrating April's first day as a detective, there's a knock at the door. Amy opens it and moves back in surprise. Casey spins around smoothly, Mikey following his actions. He bows in front of everyone else before he suddenly pulls out a bouquet of roses out of nowhere. Mikey barks happily at his successful dance moves, Amy shaking her head.

"Happy birthday to our loooovely Red!" Casey grins and Raph facepalms.

"Uh, like I said, it isn't my birthday," April murmurs as Amy bends down and pets Mikey.

"And don't teach Mikey to be like you, please," She deadpans and Leo frowns a little, helping her up.

"Ames, be careful, you're still pregnant," He warns her gently.

"Relax, we're both healthy," She giggles at him as he hugs her from behind, smiling down at her womb in happiness. He leans in and shares a brief kiss with his wife. Mikey barks as he runs up to April. She bends down to him and pets his snout.

"Hey, Mikey. I thought I asked you to stay home and guard the fort?" April asks in confusion.

"But birthdays are for celebrating together, with friends and loved ones!" Casey grins at them. "Nothing like it, baby!"

"It's not her birthday!" Donnie reminds him, slightly annoyed.

"It's like a birthday! The birth of being one of us!" Casey jerks a thumb to herself.

"No, she does not need to be like you," Raph deadpans, everyone laughing as Casey crosses his arms with a pout.

As everyone is eating, Tori is playing with Mikey. Metalhead just watches them, looking around as he looks happy. The appetizers are pizza gyoza while pasta, turkey and ham are the entrees, and for dessert is Amy's double chocolate chip cookies along with the cake she and Mona made. Mona shakes her head in amusement as Raph is scarfing down the ham, just like April is with the appetizers. Luckily the others got a fair share or else they would starve tonight.

"I think Raph's too much an influence on April," Amy giggles to Leo, April and Raph giving her a look.

"What?"

"Nothing," Leo chuckles as he shakes his head. Donnie smiles happily at April and she gives him some pizza gyoza. That would probably be the only time she'd share.

* * *

Slash dances down the stairs like Casey would, Officer Timothy and Irma watching him. Irma shakes her head as he lands, arms in the air.

"There! How do you like that? Not bad, huh?" He grins confidently at the two.

"But definitely not...good," Irma sighs at him, pushing up her glasses.

"Maybe now I can be a great detective, just like Inspector Jones!" Slash brags, Irma glancing at Officer Timothy.

"What kind of example is Casey providing for his detectives again...?" Irma wonders and no one answers.

* * *

At Murakami's, Karai and Garson Grunge are sitting at the bar, waiting for their order to be delivered. The elevator dings and Lily skates over to them. She decided not to quit after all, but keep the job for the extra money. Besides...

Roller-skating was fun, okay?

"Here's your food!" She grins as she places down a mountain of pizza gyoza between them.

"Lily?! What are you doing here?" Karai asks in surprise.

"I heard you were gonna be picking new members for the Special Investigation Unit today..." Lily grins knowingly and Karai groans as she knows where she's going with this.

"So you kept the part-time job here, just so you could eavesdrop?" Garson asks slowly and she skates over to the elevator.

"Oh, you have no idea the lengths I'd go to reach my goals! And roller-skating everywhere is like flying!" She winks at them before disappearing behind the elevator doors...

Leaving behind a ladybug listening device.

* * *

Lily eats pizza gyoza in the kitchen, Murakami making more. There's other empty plates of gyoza behind her as she eats as fast as she can. Murakami starts singing to pass the time and she finishes the gyoza, panting.

"Is this really necessary, this new 'curry gyoza' menu item?" She asks wearily.

"Oh, but our very best customer requested it! Now, good luck with the taste testing!" He places down another mountain of pizza gyoza, switching the plates with the foot rest. She groans at the sight of it.

"Oh man. I don't think I could eat another bite...Just who exactly is this 'very best customer,' anyway?!"

Turns out it's Rocksteady who requested this order as he smiles happily, ready to eat.

* * *

Rahzar is leaning against a wall as he watches Fishface ready the dynamite. They're planning on stealing all the money from Murakami's, as Shredder wanted the money. "Are you sure we really need all these explosives?" Rahzar asks skeptically, crossing his bony arms.

"Not to worry, wolfman, I followed the instructions exactly. Twenty kilograms of gunpowder, just like it said!" Fishface lights the dynamite and Rahzar snatches the instructions from him.

"Wait a minute. Twenty KILOGRAMS?! I thought it was twenty GRAMS...!"

Before they can escape, the explosives go off, landing on the second floor of Murakami's. All of the money falls out on top of Rocksteady, with no sign of Fishface and Rahzar.

* * *

In Mr. Bishop's office, Chloe looks up at him, Miss Campbell smiling at the two. "So this is where you work, huh, Papa?" Chloe smiles happily as she looks at everything. Bishop nods at her.

"That's right, sweetheart."

"Darling husband, don't you have any ideas at all you could give me?" Miss Campbell asks curiously and he turns to her. "You must have heard some juicy stories. The indiscretions of a minister, perhaps..?"

"Now, now," Bishop scolds her playfully. "Must you talk that way in front of our darling angel?"

"Here is to the stodgy mind of my darling husband!" Miss Campbell clinks the glass slightly against Bishop's head and he chuckles.

* * *

Shredder is eating some grapes, with the Kraang bot watching him. The Technodrome is still underwater, meaning the two are still at large. "This deal is going quite well..."

"The Technodrome is about to scrape the bottom of the sea, one known as Shredder. Be forewarned, one known as Shredder."

Suddenly, the door is kicked open, revealing Leo, Raph, and Donnie standing behind him. "So...you still live," Shredder stands up slowly, turning to them. "This time, you will not leave here alive."

"You've done enough to the city, Shredder," Leo spits at him as they pull out their weapons. "And now it's time we return the favor...attack!" They all lunge at each other.

* * *

At Heart of Darkness Park, Bebop is jamming out with the pigeons bopping their heads to the beat. "Love, peace, and pigeons! Long live rock-n-roll!" He cheers, continuing to play. The park has been restored to its former glory, and has been made a landmark, therefore the government cannot touch it.

Dr. Rockwell walks past some flowers as he walks to the crater, holding the radiation device. He waves it around near the meteorite and his pigeon flies over to Bebop, rocking along with all the other pigeons. He jumps up and does a solo as the pigeons fly away, Pigeon Pete walking up to him.

He pulls out two leaflets, waving them around. "Stop the park from charging admission! Protect the rights of those who live here!"

Bebop doesn't pay much attention as he plays the guitar.

* * *

Officer Thompson dances around as Officer Fenwick shakes his head. He turns around, shuffling cards in his hands. "Today's the day, you know. He's finally getting out," He reports, but Officer Thompson doesn't look fazed by it at all.

"You know, everybody's starting to get real tired of seeing you do that..." Officer Fenwick sighs slowly.

"Then let me show you! A new dance! That's been passed down! In our family! For generations!" Officer Thompson exclaims over the music. "We do this! When we have a stomachache! We call it! Dance Away the Pain!"

"Oh, I'm reeeal interested in that one," Officer Fenwick rolls his eyes. "Think you could show it to me, say, next week?"

"You got it!" Officer Thompson exclaims, still dancing. Officer Fenwick turns around to his desk, continuing to building his card tower.

Stockman is painting in his empty cell as he's doing his last painting before he's released, as he was imprisoned for the escape and for the hostage situation. He finishes his painting and smiles slightly at it, the guard approaching him. He looks up at the guard.

"Ten long years, Stockman. Your time's up today. Your mother who always comes to visit you is waiting outside."

Stockman puts down his easel and walks away from painting, coming to a stop. He remembers what Donnie did for him and smiles to himself.

"Thank you, Donatello." He then leaves the cell to see his mother.

The painting is of Donnie and Metalhead looking up at the moon from the junkyard, with the city underneath them.

* * *

"Okay guys, get ready!" Donnie smiles at his family as Shredder's head is the centerpiece of the table. Everyone leans in for the group shot. Casey, April, Donnie, Amy, and Leo are on one side, Mikey, Raph, Mona, Tori, and Splinter on the other side. Donnie gets into the photo and they all smile as the picture is taken of their celebration of defeating Shredder!


End file.
